I’m baffled by the election results out of Iran.

The returns are in and an Islamic cleric named Hassan Rowhani has been elected the next president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He’s been called a “moderate,” which well could have much different meanings in Iran than it does in the land of the so-called “Great Satan.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/world/middleeast/iran-election.html?hp&_r=0

I’ll admit, though, to being mildly optimistic about what the returns mean. Might they mean a gradual cessation of the bluster and sabre-rattling we’ve heard from the current Iranian leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Could it mean that the new leadership wants, finally, to talk to us instead of threatening us with violence? And might it mean that our most valued and trusted ally in the Middle East, Israel, can stand down just a bit from the high-alert status created by Iran’s declared intent to wipe Israel off the face of the planet?

Rowhani’s victory well might signal the dawning of a new spring in Iran, where the economy is tanking thanks in part to the choking sanctions imposed by two American administrations – led by George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Rowhani well might be listening to those who put him into power; he finished with 50.7 percent of the vote in a six-man field of candidates, avoiding a runoff.

Of course, time will have to tell us what all this means. It could mean nothing at all. Rowhani’s policies could turn out to be just a continuation of his predecessor’s madness. Then again, Rowhani’ victory could portend a new day that brings some semblance of reason and sanity to an Iranian government that, by my reckoning, never has experienced either trait.

If the latter is the case, the Iranians’ learning curve will be steep, but not insurmountable.