I’m encouraged that Sen. Angus King and former Sen. George Mitchell are endorsing the imperfect Iran deal. I, too, applaud this effort, President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry.

Consider a “What if … ?”:

Over 60 percent of Iran’s current population (73 million) is under 30.

What if, given the propensity of youth (theirs, ours and the world’s) to collectively communicate through social media and other outlets, we decide that war and bombs might not be the answer to the planet’s problems? Specifically, hunger, clean water and (dare I add) climate change. What, for example, have 14-plus years of Middle East conflict solved?

Sen. Mitchell noted that many Iranians “hate their current regime,” citing substantial pro-America sentiment in the streets of Tehran.

Perhaps as their wacky religious old men and our cranky right-wing old men die off (or are voted out of office), it might be concluded that the cost of striving to “wipe (whoever) off the map” is far too costly – vacuously stupid, and futile. Sen. King recalled a time (as I do) when Russia vowed to “bury us.”

Regarding cost: I recently referred to Bernie Sanders as a “socialist” – as opposed to a “democratic socialist” – in the sense that perhaps FDR was when he created Social Security. Or maybe LBJ – when he signed JFK’s Medicare bill in 1964.

Sen. Sanders has said: “Taking care of veterans is a cost of war. If you spend $6 trillion sending people to war, you can spend a few billion taking care of them when they come home.” Indeed.

More than a deal, this is an opportunity. And, in my view, a courageous and intelligent step in the right direction.

Buddy Doyle

Gardiner