Bush Seeks ‘False Comfort Of Appeasement,’ Makes ‘Most Significant’ Contact With Iran Since 1979
Bush Seeks ‘False Comfort Of Appeasement,’ Makes ‘Most Significant’ Contact With Iran Since 1979
The Bush administration has decided to “send a senior American official to participate in international talks with Iran this weekend,” effectively abandoning “its longstanding position that it will only meet face-to-face with Iran after it first suspends uranium enrichment“:
President George W. Bush has authorized the most significant U.S. diplomatic contact with Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, sending the U.S. State Department’s third-ranking official to Geneva for a meeting this weekend on Iran’s nuclear program, administration officials said.
The decision appeared to bend, if not exactly break, the administration’s insistence that it would not negotiate with Iran over its nuclear programs unless it first suspended uranium enrichment.
Bush’s decision to allow American diplomats to meet with Iranian officials — while welcome — is surprising. In fact, just two months ago, Bush said, in a speech before the Israeli parliament, that those who favor rigorous diplomacy with Iran (including his own Defense Secretary) are supporting a policy of appeasement toward terrorists:
As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: “Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.” We have an obligation to call this what it is – the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.
Conservatives in the media and on the campaign trail echoed Bush’s remarks. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) “wholeheartedly endorsed” Bush’s comments, while Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) added that the remarks were “exactly right.”
As Bush makes the “most significant U.S. diplomatic contact with Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979,” the question must be asked: Will the right castigate President Bush for seeking the “false comfort of appeasement”?
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So this is a more significant contact with Iran than selling them antitank missiles and missile parts in the 1980s? What did we sell them this time?
July 16th, 2008 at 12:36 pmHe’s doing this a little late in the game, don’t you think?
Bush is a liar, and a sneaky liar too, so you have to think he is up to something.
July 16th, 2008 at 12:36 pmWill the right castigate President Bush for seeking the “false comfort of appeasement”?
no.
*
July 16th, 2008 at 12:37 pmWatch Out!: there’s a trick!
July 16th, 2008 at 12:37 pmThis may be a good thing. Yes, a little late in the game, but it sounds like the Rice wing of the WH is outshouting the Cheney wing (basement dungeon with torture devices).
July 16th, 2008 at 12:38 pmBush also has now cliamed E.P. in the leaking of Valerie Plame’s name.
July 16th, 2008 at 12:39 pmUnless of course, the CIA is going to assassinate said diplomats and use that as the excuse to bomb the shit out of Iran…
And don’t think for a minute they wouldn’t…
July 16th, 2008 at 12:39 pmSo Bush has authorized negotiations with Ribbentrop instead of Adolph Hitler.
Sweet.
-GSD
July 16th, 2008 at 12:39 pmObama comes up with a good idea. Bush throws it back in his face. A few weeks later, its what Bush accomplishes. Maybe now that Karl Rove is gone, Bush is getting his advice from what Obama had to say a month ago.
July 16th, 2008 at 12:43 pmRUCerious Says:
Unless of course, the CIA is going to assassinate said diplomats and use that as the excuse to bomb the shit out of Iran…
July 16th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
______
I think it’s more likely that Mr. Burns is going to tell his Iranian counterparts to keep up the good work and that there will be some nice lucrative arms deals in the works if Iran keeps up the saber-rattling until after the election.
July 16th, 2008 at 12:44 pmGDumbya may have authorized diplomatic contact with Iran but I doubt that it will change his saber-rattling about them. Nor will it prevent him from perpetuating the myth that Obama would practice appeasement through reckless diplomacy.
IOKIYAR
July 16th, 2008 at 12:45 pmthis seems pretty transparent to me. now he can say he tried talking to them before he bombed the hell out of them.
July 16th, 2008 at 12:53 pmAs Bush makes the “most significant U.S. diplomatic contact with Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979,” the question must be asked: Will the right castigate President Bush for seeking the “false comfort of appeasement”?
NO!! They’re already making excuses and have their (”we been talking to Iran behind the scenes for months”) talking points in hand.
Next
RIP
July 16th, 2008 at 12:53 pmSGT Stephen R. Sherman
C CO 1-5 In (STRYKER)
KIA 3 Feb 2005
There is NO, repeat, NO Executive Privilege is criminal cases.
So if Rethugs holds talks it’s diplomacy, but if Dems were to hold those same talks(even after taking office) it’s appeasement. What a crock of sh!t.
July 16th, 2008 at 12:54 pmshould read No E.P. IN criminal cases.
sorry about that.
July 16th, 2008 at 12:56 pmIs Bush a flipflopper?
July 16th, 2008 at 12:57 pmAPEC not OPEC Says:
Is Bush a flipflopper?
Is the Pope German?
July 16th, 2008 at 1:01 pm“…sending the…third-ranking official..”
Why didn’t the Chickeen Sheet SOB go himself? Maybe he could hold hands with some other Little Sheet Head.
July 16th, 2008 at 1:02 pmIs this a serious attempt at accord with the evil Persian boogie man? Of course not.
Is this posturing to give the appearance of accord and remove some of the risk factor from the oil price and thereby help McCain? Maybe. But, if it appears McCain has no chance at winning, look for an attack which will drive up the price enormously as a parting gift from Cheney to the other oil company vampires.
July 16th, 2008 at 1:03 pmAPEC not OPEC Says:
Is Bush a flipflopper?
Do a bear deficate in the woods?
July 16th, 2008 at 1:05 pmIs a pig’s behind pork?
Does Cheney shoot first and forget the question?
Do Condom Rice buy shoes?
Do McSame have CRS (Can’t remember stuff)?
is bush a flip-flopper?
Is the Pope Catholic?
Does a bear go potty in the woods?
Is the sea salty?
Are gasoline prices increasing?
Is Cheney a Dickhead?
well, you get the idea.
July 16th, 2008 at 1:10 pmCrusty; great minds think alike. (:-D)
July 16th, 2008 at 1:11 pmanyone else suffering from whiplash!?
July 16th, 2008 at 1:14 pm“this seems pretty transparent to me. now he can say he tried talking to them before he bombed the hell out of them.”
- spearNmagicHelmet
My thoughts exactly. The only question is will he bother to even attempt to make it look sincere.
July 16th, 2008 at 1:16 pmHe’ll set some conditions Iran will be guaranteed not to agree to, then use the disagreement as an excuse to launch the attack he and Cheney have been salivating about since they stole the election in 2000.
July 16th, 2008 at 1:19 pmEither that, or he’s co-opting Obama to help McNasty.
robwillcarp Says:
“this seems pretty transparent to me. now he can say he tried talking to them before he bombed the hell out of them.”
- spearNmagicHelmet
My thoughts exactly. The only question is will he bother to even attempt to make it look sincere.
These were my thoughts too when I first heard it last night.
¶ AIO
July 16th, 2008 at 1:22 pmWho could have ever anticipated that the WH would use the State Dept as a Republican political tool.
July 16th, 2008 at 1:23 pmCaption:
“I pledge allegiance to NaZionism”….
¶ AIO
July 16th, 2008 at 1:27 pmAppeasement? That only applies to Democrats who want to exercise diplomacy.
Actually Bush said he wouldn’t engage in “talks” with Iran — he’s sending an official to the meeting, but no one said he would utter a word. He’s going there only to listen.
Up is down. Right is wrong. Black is white. We’ve always been at war with Eurasia, or was it Eastasia?; this is Oceania’s language of newspeak.
July 16th, 2008 at 1:28 pmI’m supposing Condi is behind this diplomatic gambit and is temporarily out manouevering Vice President Face of Evil.
July 16th, 2008 at 1:45 pmWill this be a reprise of the 2003 Swiss diplomatic effort? During that act the Swiss brought the U.S. an Iranian offer to give up their nuclear projects, hand over known terrorists, and work with us in the War on Terra! The Swiss were told to bugger off for bringing us words from those awful Iranians! Now, in a desperate quest for a Legacy, Swiss Diplomacy Act II gets trotted out! Same old wine in a brand new bottle; if only we’d taken it no 2003.
July 16th, 2008 at 2:25 pmImpeach Pelosi, Cheney and Bush and Save the Constitution!
“the question must be asked: Will the right castigate President Bush for seeking the “false comfort of appeasement”?”
Why must we ask this? We know the answer is no. The post is missing the point. Instead of squawking about his hypocrisy and flip flopping yet again, how about saying “it’s about frickin time” and then poke holes in his sad attempt at diplomacy and point out that he promises stuff like this all the time and it never seems to really happen.
July 16th, 2008 at 2:29 pmFratboy, McSame, and Lie*berman flip flopping? No way.
July 16th, 2008 at 2:31 pmSo once again, Obama was right.
Saying this is getting monotonous.
July 16th, 2008 at 3:05 pmHAS THERE EVER BEEN A MORE DRAMATIC EXAMPLE OF THE FAILURE OF NEOCONSERVATISM???
They refused to negotiate with North Korea until… they they restarted their nuclear program and started testing missiles.
They refused to negotiate with Iran… until they restarted their nuclear program and started testing missiles.
They believed they could “Democratize the Middle East” by overthrowing Saddam Hussein and replacing him with a government more friendly to the U.S…. only to end up with an Iraqi government more friendly to Iran.
The size of the Federal government has exploded, as has the size of the National Debt. Oil has more than quadrupled in price, pushing gasoline over $4/gallon and pushing the economy into recession. And deregulating the mortgage industry while simultaneously & irresponsibly cutting interest rates to the bone that resulted in widespread massive home foreclosures & bankruptcies.
Wages are stagnant; unemployment is up.
And the Republican candidate for President believes the “solution” is more of the same. And the polls says the candidates are almost tied.
What’s wrong with this picture???
July 16th, 2008 at 3:28 pmThey’ll lie and say there will be no negotiating, only “observing.”
July 16th, 2008 at 4:37 pmThe aftermath of 9/11 provided a unique opportunity to turn the corner in our relations with Iran. There was a huge pro-American rally in Teheran and Iran offered to help us in the war on terrorism.
We should have engaged in back-door diplmacy aimed at getting them to stop supporting Hezbolla, while dangling the prospect of eventual restoration of diplomatic ties. Having established a more concillatory climate, we could then have focused on the higher-stakes issue of their nuclear program.
But by spurning their olive branch, we weakened the Iranian moderates who wanted to improve realtions with the US and strengthened the hard-liners. Some Iran experts believe this is what led to the election of Ahmadinejad.
July 17th, 2008 at 11:23 am