Neoconservative McCain Adviser: ‘At Some Point,’ ‘You Might Want To’ Talk To Iran
Neoconservative McCain Adviser: ‘At Some Point,’ ‘You Might Want To’ Talk To Iran
Robert Kagan, adviser to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and brother of Iraq surge architect Fred Kagan, is a prominent leader of the neoconservative movement. In 1997, for example, he and Bill Kristol co-founded the neoconservative Project for the New American Century (PNAC), which advocated overthrowing Saddam Hussein.
Yesterday, McCain reiterated his unwillingness to engage diplomatically with various Middle East countries, particularly Iran. But last night on PBS’s Charlie Rose, even Kagan moved away from McCain’s position. While he defended the Bush administration’s current refusal to sit down with Iran, Kagan admitted that this policy may not be as sustainable as McCain thinks:
ROSE: Does it make sense to talk to the Iranian government?
KAGAN: You know, I think, and this is where John McCain may not — doesn’t agree necessarily. I think at some point we may find ourselves in a position when you might want to do that. But I think at this moment, there isn’t a great deal — we have a very sensible position.
Watch it:
Later in the segment, Rose forced Kagan to admit that the administration’s current posture with Iran also hasn’t worked well. “Do you think [not talking to Iran] stopped them from getting closer to building a nuclear weapon?” pressed Rose. “Obviously not,” Kagan admitted.
As former State Department official James Rubin noted today, McCain was open to meeting with Hamas just two years ago. And as Max Bergmann observed, in 2003, when former Secretary of State Colin Powell was criticized for meeting with Syrian leaders, McCain encouraged the talks, stating, “Colin Powell is going to look [President] Bashar aside in the eye and say, look, you know. You better clean up your act here.”
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So…let me get this straight:
McIdiot was AGAINST appeasers before he was FOR them…?
I’m so-o-o-o-o confused. :o/
May 16th, 2008 at 5:42 pmIt continues to amaze me that these fat-assed airbags can only sit in their lofty thinking chambers and make this stuff up instead of actually GOING OVER THERE and finding out what is really happening on the street.
We are making such significant progress with the advice and guidance he and his twerp brother of his have given the NeoCon machine it may take only two CENTURIES to get back to where we were only 7-8 years ago in terms of reputation.
IF they won’t go over to the middle east, then I vote we give them each a weapon, one bottle of water, put them in the middle of the Mojave and leave.
May 16th, 2008 at 5:46 pmWhy are all the ignorant morons who got us into this mess still given a forum to spew their opinions.
May 16th, 2008 at 5:52 pm.
So,
If I don’t talk to my neighbor I can call them my enemy, and my proof is that they don’t talk to me either…?
Anyone ever hear the story of the angry neighbor who torched the neighborhood? See, his dog craps in the other neighbor’s yards and they keep throwing it back over the fence. And so the angry neighbor took that crap and filled a paper bag full of it, and set back on the porches of his neighbors and lite it on fire. A couple of porches were burnt, and a few families may be homeless, but no one, NOE ONE will be throwing dog crap over his fence again, even if it’s his own dog’s crap for the angry neighbor has made sure of this.
Let isolationism reign in America.
.
May 16th, 2008 at 5:59 pmWhat I always find so amusing about this situation is that Bush has single handedly pi**ed away the chance that we had to undermine the hard line government of Iran.
Think about it, the Iranians were demonstrating in the streets in favor of the US in the aftermath of 9/11. They had a moderate president. They hated AQ and Bin Laden. A wise president, an intelligent leader would have exploited this to the advantage of the United States. So, what did Bush do? Made them a member of the Axis of Evil. Yes, good bye moderate government. Hello nationalism and the continued power of the hard liners.
May 16th, 2008 at 6:04 pmMcCain might possibly lose the presidential race even before the Democrats have a nominee. Mission Accomplished, Cooter.
May 16th, 2008 at 6:04 pmWe have a new organization and we are seeking members to join PANIC (Project Against the New Idiotic-american Century).
May 16th, 2008 at 6:05 pmThere can be political and public-relations ramifications if the President engages in direct negotiations that produce nothing. BUT, there is, with adequate preparation of the public, absolutely no good reason to demand the pre-condition that Iran cease nuclear enrichment BEFORE an negotiations. The whole point is to get them to cease nuclear enrichment (among other things such as state support of terrorism), if we set a precondition to negotiation that they (Iran) capitulate on a major point, Iran will never agree to the pre-condition and thus never negotiate – which seems to be the point of pre-conditions in the first place. Notice that we don’t set pre-conditions in negotiations were we actually want to come to an agreement.
May 16th, 2008 at 6:06 pmW was caught up in the moment in the Kenesset, when he cleverly (so he thought) tried to brand Obama et,al as appeasers. The moron has been talking with Iran , North Korea, why aren’t they the axis of evil.
May 16th, 2008 at 6:09 pmMore apt is the opening of Riefenstahl’ Triumph of the Will when Adolph flies into Nurmberg in 1934 for the Nazi Rally. W’s moment on the carrier Abraham Lincoln is exactly the same type of propaganda. Rove and Cheney have taken many pages from Himmler, Goering, and Goebbels ‘book’ on how to go to war, and make it popular, at least for while
#5 JMOHR Says:
Think about it, the Iranians were demonstrating in the streets in favor of the US in the aftermath of 9/11. They had a moderate president. They hated AQ and Bin Laden. A wise president, an intelligent leader would have exploited this to the advantage of the United States. So, what did Bush do? Made them a member of the Axis of Evil. Yes, good bye moderate government. Hello nationalism and the continued power of the hard liners.
You are absolutely right. But we both know that wise and intelligent isn’t something that could describe anything President Bush has done. Personally, I think handlers dress him in the morning. I don’t believe he is even capable of that task.
May 16th, 2008 at 6:20 pmOne of these days the world is going to tire of the way American politicians (GOP) threaten and cajole them. Bullies can only stay bullies if the people they are targeting stay fearful of them. If 1/2 of the worlds oil producers shifted their currency reserves to Euros – away from dollars – we would feel the pain immediately. All the rest of the planet has to do is find our weakness in the financial marketplace and we would be at their mercy. Not a shot fired, or one threat spoken. We are not the ’sooper power’ we believe we are. We are the only ones calling us that. Sounds like bragging to me. After 7+ years of the bush incompetence, we have nothing to brag about.
May 16th, 2008 at 6:21 pmROSE: Does it make sense to talk to the Iranian government?
KAGAN: You know, I think, and this is where John McCain may not — doesn’t agree necessarily. I think at some point we may find ourselves in a position when you might want to do that. But I think at this moment, there isn’t a great deal — we have a very sensible position.
Yeah…Let’s do like we did with North Korea, wait until after they develop a nuclear weapon to talk.
Seriously, why does anybody listen to these warmongering wingnuts anymore?
May 16th, 2008 at 6:24 pmBTW, The Right’s position on Bush’s recent speech in Israel is shameful and hilarious. Check out Chris Matthews’ thrashing of right-wing radio talker Kevin James. Like most of his brethren on the Right, James had no idea as to the factual context of the “appeasement” reference made in Bush’s speech(and parroted by James). James simply kept shouting code-words about Obama without any regard for fairness or the truth. Hmmm, I guess those are quaint and obsolete ideas nowadays.
Think about it, the Right is actually arguing that the US should not talk or use diplomatic measures with our enemies – incredible. Simply because you talk (negotiate), doesn’t mean you have to give the store away (appeasement).
May 16th, 2008 at 6:25 pmA neoconservative said that…?
Wait…a founding member of PNAC said this?!?!?!?
Someone pinch me — I gotta be dreaming. If not, I guess I must have missed the articles in the paper today detailing the stunning new developments in porcine aviation…
May 16th, 2008 at 6:40 pmThink about it, the Right is actually arguing that the US should not talk or use diplomatic measures with our enemies – incredible. Simply because you talk (negotiate), doesn’t mean you have to give the store away (appeasement).
There is a very easy answer for this: The right side is the low information and low education party. Because of that fact, they simply cannot find and use the proper words to even begin a dialog with anybody. They are the party of thugs and criminals, both careers which do not value the art of diplomacy. When you can’t think you way out of a latrine, you certainly cannot expect to be successful at speaking with those who disagree with you. Darn that home schooling.
May 16th, 2008 at 6:40 pmNeocons cannot be trusted, the agenda can still be the same. You send some people over there for a chat and make sure no positive results come out of it and say “the Iranians refuse to comply to our (international) demands” so we have to act.You give people the illusion that diplomacy has failed but it has never *really* been tried.
To quote PNAC buddy Bolton:
“…they [Iran] have not done anything more dramatic, such as withdrawing from the nonproliferation treaty, or throwing out inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which I actually hoped they would do – that that kind of reaction would produce a counter-reaction that actually would be more beneficial to us.”
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_jim_harr_070302_bolton_wanted_iran_t.htm
Don’t buy into what Kagan said.
May 16th, 2008 at 8:23 pm“Sensible position” my a$$ !!!!!!…………
May 17th, 2008 at 2:04 amThe shamelessness of these nut-jobs like Kagan to endlessly spin ridiculous arguments about Iraq and Iran is astonishing. They really must think we’re all very stupid.
May 18th, 2008 at 1:35 amThink about it, the Iranians were demonstrating in the streets in favor of the US in the aftermath of 9/11. They had a moderate president. They hated AQ and Bin Laden. A wise president, an intelligent leader would have exploited this to the advantage of the United States. So, what did Bush do? Made them a member of the Axis of Evil. Yes, good bye moderate government. Hello nationalism and the continued power of the hard liners.
This is spite of our interference with their democracy with our installation of the Shah and our support of Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War
May 20th, 2008 at 12:11 pm