BUOYED by their modest electoral success last month, critics of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's provocative foreign policy were preparing to launch a series of attacks on him in the Islamic Majlis, Iran's ersatz parliament. But then Ahmadinejad got an unexpected boost from Barack Obama.
Ali Larijani, Iran's former nuclear negotiator and now a Majlis member, was arguing that the Islamic Republic would pay a heavy price for Ahmadinejad's rejection of three UN Security Council resolutions on nukes. Then the likely Democratic presidential nominee stepped in.
Obama announced that, if elected, he wouldn't ask Iran to comply with UN resolutions as a precondition for direct talks with Ahmadinejad: "Preconditions, as it applies to a country like Iran, for example, was a term of art. Because this administration has been very clear that it will not have direct negotiations with Iran until Iran has met preconditions that are essentially what Iran views, and many other observers would view, as the subject of the negotiations; for example, their nuclear program."
"Talking without preconditions" would require America to ignore three unanimous Security Council resolutions. Before starting his unconditional talks, would Obama present a new resolution at the Security Council to cancel the three that Ahmadinejad doesn't like? Or would the new US president act in defiance of the United Nations - further weakening the Security Council's authority?
Comments
Democrat candidates never seem to realize that although they know what they are saying is just so much hot air--international observers take their words seriously. The Democrat candidate, of course, won't even remember the words once the election is over. Obama is just another liberal Democrat, but with less experience and fewer qualifications than any candidate of any party (at least in my life-time) and will, if elected, say anything to anyone at anytime simply to make himself popular. Besides that I don't buy the "change" rhetoric for the simple reason that we live in a really wonderful country, flaws and all, that need not "change" in the way this guy seems to think! Of course we can always improve on an individual basis, but out basic governmental formats are unassailable!
Posted by: Rose Storey | May 21, 2008 06:25 PM
Where are our cowardly Republican congressmen? Where is G.W. Bush? Why are they all not sounding strong consistent counterpoints to this dimwit? Where are the commercials, the media ads, and the grassroots push for the effective traditional values and ideals that can make this dangerous liberal less of a nuisance? Staying silent and hoping he will hang himself out to dry is not the answer.
Posted by: Mike S. | May 21, 2008 06:44 PM
Really, not that I am a fan of Obama in the least, but politics is politics...just ask Amir Tehari. Obama has no influence in Tehran now nor will he in the future regardless of the U.S. Presidential race. As for the U.N. security council as a political body it is used mainly for photo ops and back room deals we never hear about...Credibility??? Obama is a flat out fake that any intellegent person here or in Iran knows, its the Media that props him up, at some point his stupidity will become difficult to smooth over, remember this... you can only put so much frosting on a turd.
Posted by: B.A.Hokom | May 21, 2008 11:18 PM
Obama may be able to fool alot of people but rumors are rampant on the internet that the GOP has 2 tapes now...on of MO talking about Whitey, that is suppose to be pretty bad and also one of Obama when he was overseas. If there are such tapes I wish they would be released no to help Hillary...has anyone heard of these....I don't get what is happening to some Americans..all that is out there about Obama and they keep voting for him and the more they vote the more arrogant BO and Mo become...and Rev. Wright who has know him for 20 years even tells us BO is just telling us what he thinks we want to hear....Hillary has been shafted by the DNC from the start and if she doesn't get the nomination we all as Americans can not let Obama get into the White House or I think we will see Rev Wright and the prez of Iran in there one day. We should either not vote or vote for MCCain. Any comments?
Posted by: DJ | May 21, 2008 11:55 PM
B.A.,
Your absolutely correct when you state Obama will have no influence upon Tehran or others; however, the problem which is manifest within Obama are his all too numerous weaknesses and how these weaknesses will come to be exploited by others.
Obama is the personification of every mistake, error and misjudgment which led to 9-11, that one-part blood in a million which sends sharks from miles-and-miles away into a feeding and killing frenzy.
Posted by: Earlg | May 22, 2008 05:27 AM