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PrintSeptember 12, 2009
A promise fulfilled: US to talk directly with Iran
Obama may have broken dozens of promises he made during the campaign. I just wish he would have broken the one where he promised to establish direct talks with Iran. And to make matters even worse, Obama has agreed not even to discuss Iran's nuclear program:
Glenn Kessler of WaPo has the story:
The United States has decided to ignore Iran's refusal to discuss its nuclear program and instead accept a vague Iranian plan for talks on security issues as the opening gambit to draw Tehran into real negotiation.
The effort to "test" Iran's intentions, announced on Friday, came after Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said his country is skeptical of the need for new sanctions on Iran, giving the Americans little choice but to treat seriously Iran's latest offer.
Iran this week ruled out talks on its program, instead offering a five-page plan that it said would lay the groundwork for peace and stability in the region. The document, first posted Thursday on the Web site of ProPublica news service, made no reference to international demands that Iran suspend its efforts to enrich uranium, but did mention ending proliferation in nuclear weapons as well as a broad offer of dialogue.
Iran's plan was disappointing but not surprising to U.S. officials, who nonetheless decided to take at face value the offer of a dialogue. Iran has insisted that the intent of its program is peaceful, but enriching uranium can be an element in building a nuclear weapon -- though Tehran has not yet demonstrated it can enrich to a weapons-grade level.
This is depressing on so many levels, I don't know where to begin. The first image that entered my mind was Chamberlain at Munich. Taking anything "at face value" from the Iranian thugs is so much a leap of illogic, such a demonstration of naivete and utter cluelessness on the part of the United States government as to be beyond reason and belief. Where in God's name have these people been for the last 30 years? Hiding in a hole?
And what happened to Obama's other promise - you know, the one where he said he wouldn't talk to the Iranians unless their nuclear program was included? Guess that one got tossed under the bus.
And would someone tell me why it is even necessary to "test" Iranian intentions? Only someone so in love with the idea of their own supreme abilities could even think that such a "test" was necessary.
The sell out begins.
