September 27 should have been a day of celebration for the United States, as well as Mariano Riviera. What happened on the next day or weeks after should have been left alone, and the political cheap shots laid aside. You can wish even your worst enemy a Happy Rosh Hashannah (as President Rouhani demonstrated) or a Happy Retirement without compromising your credibility as a political heavyweight.
When you witness history, you should pay your respect and hold your cynical tongue.

With the agreement in principle of Iran and the five Western nations over control of nuclear proliferation in Iran, I felt the same hopefulness I did on September 27, 2014. At that time I asserted we were witnessing history and scolded Eric Cantor, among others, who maligned the detente as a betrayal of democratic ideals of the Iranian people. How short-sighted his carping appears today, as moderates in Iran and the United States alike applaud this progress toward peace.

Now if only partisan politics can take a breather while we negotiate the details of this historic agreement. If only we can sustain a national optimism toward a compromise with an historic enemy, rather than pouring contempt on the good faith being forged in Lausanne.

Back on September 27 I was reminded of the good will toward Mariano Rivera as he retired from baseball. He was honored in every ballpark he visited by fans who had seen him squash hopes for their home team at one time or another. Yet they recognized his historic role in a game they loved; they paid him tribute.

Why is it only in sports we pay tribute to our avowed enemies? Isn’t it sportsmanship that should be our model for dealing with our adversaries? Or do we think so little of our games that we should not learn from them?

Respect for our foes, even grudging respect, should be a lesson we learn on the field, and it has no less significance in our negotiations with nations. We should stand together to cheer the emergence of a peaceful relationship, no matter how fragile.