Of Pluto and Plutonium

It seems fitting the namesake of the dwarf planet we are about to see clearly for the first time is also in the news as the US negotiations with Iran are in their final stages.  Both items give us hope that human existence may extend beyond the immediate future.  The scientific prowess that allowed us to rendezvous with Pluto and beam pictures more than 3 billion miles shows mankind can solve virtually any technical problem if properly motivated and funded.  Maybe we can tackle our ecological and energy problems with the same mindset.  Meanwhile the more mundane and seemingly endless wrangling with Iran over its nuclear ambitions may be the more momentous of the two events.  The perpetual hawks on both sides are already trying to destroy the deal before its full text is revealed.  John McCain of "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb bomb" Iran fame will no doubt put the balance of his vanishing credibility on the line as will his sidekick Lindsay Graham and newly minted nutjob Tom Cotton.   The Israelis can be counted on to oppose anything short of Iran's unconditional surrender.  Meanwhile, John Kerry has persevered and seems to have gotten a deal which includes the necessary inspections to ensure Iran is not cheating.   In a less than perfect world, this is probably the best outcome we could have expected.  Let's hope the President can sell it to a skeptical public.