Karl Rove asks a very important question that the MSM should be asking but won’t since they are in the tank for Obama.
But what might work on the primary campaign trail doesn’t work nearly as well in Tehran. What, for example, does Mr. Obama think he can offer the Iranians to get them to become a less pernicious and destabilizing force? One of Iran’s top foreign policy goals is a precipitous U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. This happens to be Mr. Obama’s top foreign policy goal, too. Why should Iran or other rogue states alter their behavior if Mr. Obama gives them what they want, without preconditions?
On Wednesday, Mr. Obama said in Florida that in a meeting with the Iranians he’d make it clear their behavior is unacceptable. That message has been delivered clearly by Republican and Democratic administrations in public and private diplomacy over the past 16 years. Is he so naïve to think he has a unique ability to make this even clearer?
If Mr. Obama believes he can change the behavior of these nations by meeting without preconditions, he owes it to the voters to explain, in specific terms, what he can say that will lead these states to abandon their hostility. He also needs to explain why unconditional, unilateral meetings with Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or North Korea’s Kim Jong Il will not deeply unsettle our allies.
If Mr. Obama fails to do so, voters may come to believe that he is asking them to accept that he has a “Secret Plan,” and that he is hopelessly out of his depth on national security.
Does he have a plan or is he going to wing it? Does he see them as a threat? This doesn’t sound like he does:
“Iran, Cuba, Venezuela—these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don’t pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us. And yet we were willing to talk to the Soviet Union at the time when they were saying we’re going to wipe you off the planet.”
BTW, this is a flip-flop from what he said in 2004:
“In light of the fact that we’re now in Iraq, with all the problems in terms of perceptions about America that have been created, us launching some missile strikes into Iran is not the optimal position for us to be in,” he said.
“On the other hand, having a radical Muslim theocracy in possession of nuclear weapons is worse. So I guess my instinct would be to err on not having those weapons in the possession of the ruling clerics of Iran. . . . And I hope it doesn’t get to that point. But realistically, as I watch how this thing has evolved, I’d be surprised if Iran blinked at this point.” . . .
Obama said that violent Islamic extremists are a vastly different brand of foe than was the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and they must be treated differently.
“With the Soviet Union, you did get the sense that they were operating on a model that we could comprehend in terms of, they don’t want to be blown up, we don’t want to be blown up, so you do game theory and calculate ways to contain,” Obama said. “I think there are certain elements within the Islamic world right now that don’t make those same calculations. . . .”
So, are they like the Soviet Union or not? Does Obama even know what he’s real position is? Obama supporters, do you?
posted May 22, 2008 at 2:40 pm
OMG, I can’t believe I’m agreeing with something Karl Rove said. Except for his wicked hip-hop dance moves, I’ve never had much use for the man. Doh!
posted May 22, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Oh, this is easy. He’ll ask them to tell him their feelings. And their top feeling will be: “the Jews must die and YOU must convert to Islam, pig!”
How’s he gonna respond to that??
posted May 22, 2008 at 4:46 pm
then of course, the msm should be asking mccain how he expects to resolve the conflicts with israel at the center, or how he plans to end the war in iraq, but they won’t because they’re in in the tank for mccain.
posted May 22, 2008 at 5:34 pm
ZZ, I kind of doubt he’s going to ask them about their feelings. And if they said what you think they’d say, you would have a war. Obama is not a pacifist, he’s against going to wars that are not needed. This way you don’t waste the military like Bush has. Right now we have to rebuild our military- and Obama has said he would do that. Does that sound like a pacifist to you?
Of course , if you want to believe right wing talk radio spin points, than you are a fool and will be played for one. Their whole reason for living is to keep people crazy.
Iran is not likely to start a war with Israel . Israel has nukes and would use them if needed. The Iranians know this. Also, Amadenejad can’t start a war- only the head Ayatollah can do that. Iran is not Germany- Germany had one of the laargest economies in the world. Iran doesn’t even make the top 30.
posted May 22, 2008 at 5:38 pm
If the media is in the tank for Obama, why two weeks of Rev. Wright? It only stopped when people noticed the polls weren’t moving- so they were not getting the desired effect. The same liberal media that didn’t report Gingrich’s affair, which everyone knew about in Washington, but gave Lewinsky saturation coverage? That ‘liberal’ media?
posted May 22, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Oh, this is easy. He’ll ask them to tell him their feelings. And their top feeling will be: “the Jews must die and YOU must convert to Islam, pig!”
How’s he gonna respond to that??
Well, if he is smart, and in the tradition of JFK as he claims to be, he will calmly explain that it would only take about 50 or 60 good sized nuclear warheads to totally depopulate Iran, Israel has at least 400 and we’ve got thousands of those things. “Now, Mr. A., if you will be so kind as to look a this map, you can see the how the blast areas interlock covering all of Iran’s population centers and everything in between…”
posted May 23, 2008 at 10:26 am
To which he will reply: “NOTHING is more glorious than to die for Islam! You have convinced me my plain is aright! Allahu Akhbar!”
posted May 23, 2008 at 2:35 pm
“Iran is not likely to start a war with Israel . Israel has nukes and would use them if needed. The Iranians know this. Also, Amadenejad can’t start a war- only the head Ayatollah can do that. Iran is not Germany- Germany had one of the laargest economies in the world. Iran doesn’t even make the top 30.”
You seem to be forgetting that they don’t have to do their own fight but has proxies to do that for them.
They don’t have to worry about Israel’s response because they are deterministic. If they believe it’s Allah’s will to strike Israel, they believe that Allah will protect them.
posted May 23, 2008 at 2:44 pm
“If the media is in the tank for Obama, why two weeks of Rev. Wright? It only stopped when people noticed the polls weren’t moving- so they were not getting the desired effect. The same liberal media that didn’t report Gingrich’s affair, which everyone knew about in Washington, but gave Lewinsky saturation coverage? That ‘liberal’ media?”
*snort* There are none so blind as he who refuses to see.
posted May 24, 2008 at 3:37 am
“*snort* There are none so blind as he who refuses to see.”
might cataract surgery help you with that? and maybe consider something to clear up that sinus infection while you’re at it.
“You seem to be forgetting that they don’t have to do their own fight but has proxies to do that for them.”
ah, yes, the art of war by proxy. like cheney trying his darnedest to talk israel into provoking iran into an attack so that the u.s. would have a reason to retaliate against iran. neo-cons are good at that art. regular michelangelos.
posted May 24, 2008 at 7:46 am
“might cataract surgery help you with that? and maybe consider something to clear up that sinus infection while you’re at it.”
I don’t know, you try it first and we’ll see from your comments if it works.
“like cheney trying his darnedest to talk israel into provoking iran into an attack so that the u.s. would have a reason to retaliate against iran. neo-cons are good at that art. regular michelangelos.”
Evidently, not as good as Iran since it didn’t happen, huh? Yet they’ve been able to get their kuds into Iraq to kill our soldiers.
posted September 20, 2010 at 5:54 am
its true Iran and any other “small” country have no right to posses nuclear weapons. but who give the rights and those who manufacture them, who are they manufacturing them for? if America says they have the right to manufacture them then somebody somewhere will feel insecure because bombs are used for only one purpose. in order to stop anybody from manufacturing the weapons, i think all those “super powers” must demonstrate first by destroying theirs. otherwise the right to manufacture nuclear weapons will depends on how secure one feels