One of the most infamous portions of the Democratic primary was then Sen. Obama's answering a YouTube debate question that as President he would meet separately without precondition with the dictatorial leaders of Cuba, Syria, Venezuela, North Korea and Iran in Washington D.C. or anywhere else during the first year of his administration.
With the USS John McCain (irony?) poised to intercept a North Korean ship suspected of carrying weapons materials, Kim Jong Il threatening to launch a missile toward Obama's birth state and, of course, the Iranian regime slaughtering their own citizens in the streets, can we now all agree that this was an uniformed statement that should now be discarded to the scrap heap of campaign promises. This is one that I sincerely hope President Obama will break. I believe that as he is currently seeing things and learning things that only a President can, he will change his mind on this as he has on other issues of foreign policy and national security.
Yep, the right won't let a single opportunity to pass to make political hay out of unfortunate foreign events, with the side benefit of using them to attack Obama.
Setting "preconditions" will only drive said countries further into intransigent isolation and hostility. Why not open the door to talking? What have we got to lose? If the talks fail, then we're back to where we are now, and we proceed.
I can't wait to hear the right's "reasoning" when they blame Obama for any and all bad things happening in Iran and North Korea (not to mention everywhere in the universe), as they certainly will. It seems the only thing they want is war, and more of it. There must be profit to be made somewhere, or maybe their manliness must be shored up (after all they got whupped in 2008!).
>>> It seems the only thing they want is war, and more of it. There must be profit to be made somewhere, or maybe their manliness must be shored up (after all they got whupped in 2008!).
Can you please tell me where I said we should go to war with Iran? My only contention is that we should not lend any possible legitimacy to a blood-thirsty dictatorship. Those people are dying to say that the government is not their government. Why would we tell them they are wrong?
This is not trying to make political hay out of anything, this is evaluating our President's response to a horrific situation. But I'm sure you never did any of that with Katrina or Iraq or the economy or anything else during the Bush Administration. Funny how it is only offensive to discuss the actions (or lack thereof) of the President when you support him.
Hi Aaron:
There is nothing wrong with Republicans evaluating the Presidents response to the events we face. I think that sometimes the "playing politics" complaint is an attempt to stifle debate. That said, I do not think talking with bloodthirsty dictators lends them legitimacy. By that standard we could not talk to most of our allies in the Middle East at all, our only choice would be to either withdraw from the world entirely or unilaterally impose our power on them, making us as much dictators as they are. When to meet and when to on principle refuse to meet is a case-by-case thing, and nothing Obama said during the YOUTUBE debate conflicts with the idea that the situation determines the appropriate response. What should the US do about Iran? IMO we should do whatever the legitimate opposition would like us to do; Iranians, not we, should be the masters of Iran. Better relations between the US and Iran is very important and we should not punish the people of Iran for the sake or moral grandstanding.
your friend
Keith
>>> That said, I do not think talking with bloodthirsty dictators lends them legitimacy. By that standard we could not talk to most of our allies in the Middle East at all …
Tell that to the people of Iran. I think it would completely crush the spirit of any revolution to see the US President sitting down with their dictators as if they were the freely elected leaders.
I do understand that we talk with people who are bad guys, but there is a difference between many of them. What the Iranians are doing is totally unacceptable. We cannot lend them any sense of legitimacy by meeting with their dictatorial regime. They haven't done anything to deserve that. It's odd that for once Europe seems to get that while the US (government) does not.
I agree that Iran should make the final call about what Iran wants to do, but what do you do if the majority of Iran wants to overthrow their government but do not have the ability to do so by themselves?
Granting people freedom is not grandstanding or punishment.
Hi Aaron;
>>> That said, I do not think talking with bloodthirsty dictators lends them legitimacy. By that standard we could not talk to most of our allies in the Middle East at all …
Tell that to the people of Iran. I think it would completely crush the spirit of any revolution to see the US President sitting down with their dictators as if they were the freely elected leaders.
I think this is exactly my point. What we should do is whatever it is that the legitimate opposition to dictatorship would like us to do. I expect that right now they'd want us to do. Obama talked about sitting down with dictators so he was hardly suggesting that they were freely elected leaders. I haven't heard what the opposition wants us to do, except that one particular opposition leader warned about the US providing support for the dictatorships' claim that the opposition are American puppets.
I agree that Iran should make the final call about what Iran wants to do, but what do you do if the majority of Iran wants to overthrow their government but do not have the ability to do so by themselves?
Granting people freedom is not grandstanding or punishment.
I don't think we have the power to grant them freedom. You and I (and Louis probably) agree that we should humbly do what we can to help the opposition. If that's bold condemnation from the US, then fine, but if what they want us to do is to NOT provide cover for the dictators' claims to be defending Iran from US meddling then I expect you and I would agree NOT to meddle. That's all I'm saying, that and that I think Obama has been pitch perfect on that respect.
your friend
Keith
Like I told Louis earlier, they are already claiming the US, UK and Israel are behind it all. They have already shown a video of Obama and mistranslated what he said. They will blame us no matter what we say, but many of the opposition are calling on America to do more at least in terms of our rhetoric.