9/16/08

Yesterday five former American secretaries of state including Republicans Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, and James Baker all reaffirmed their support for direct talks with Iran.  Kissinger went as far as to say that there must be high-level talks with the Iranians “without conditions.”  These statements reaffirm Barack Obama’s position for the need for tough direct diplomacy with Iran.  Even the Bush administration has started to come around after years of pursuing a failed policy of refusing to engage.  It is only John McCain who continues to call this approach “naïve” and instead clings to a reckless strategy that has clearly failed to make us safer.

Five former Secretaries of State advocate direct talks with Iran without pre-conditions.  “Five former U.S. secretaries of state said on Monday the next American administration should talk to Iran, a foe President George W. Bush has generally shunned as part of an ‘axis of evil.’”  At the event sponsored by the Center for New American Security, George Washington University, Rice University and City College, Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell James Baker, Madeleine Albright and Warren Christopher all agreed. Former Clinton Secretary of State Madeleine Albright advised that “You need to engage with countries you have problems with,” and said “I believe we need to engage with Iran.”  Colin Powell, Secretary of State under George W. Bush echoed the need for negotiations stating: “Let’s get together and talk about nuclear weapons.”  [AP, 9/15/08.  ABC News, 9/15/08.  Reuters, 9/16/08.]

Henry Kissinger, an advisor to John McCain, supports negotiating with Iran “without preconditions.”  Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State under Presidents Nixon and Ford, not only indicated that he “was in favor of negotiating with Iran,” but said that such negotiations should occur “without conditions,” and should begin at a high level.”  These remarks put Kissinger firmly in line with Senator Obama’s long-held position of engagement with Iran and against McCain’s refusal to talk.  [ABC News, 9/15/08]

Even the Bush administration is moving toward Senator Obama’s strategy of diplomatic engagement with Iran.  The Bush Administration is beginning to embrace a number of foreign policy positions favored by Senator Obama.  “On a range of major foreign policy issues over the past year, Bush has pursued strategies and actions very much along the lines of what Sen. Obama has advocated during his presidential race…”  “On the diplomatic front, Obama has made a point of advocating dialogue with Iran” and though he has been vilified by conservatives for it, “in July, Bush sent a high-level U.S. emissary to attend nuclear talks with Iran…” In June, the Washington Post reported that “Senior officials at the State Department and beyond are mulling a proposal to open an interest section in Tehran, similar to the one the United States has operated in Havana since 1977.”  [Washington Post, 9/15/08. Washington Post, 6/23/08]

As consensus forms around the Obama position, John McCain continues to promote his reckless approach for dealing with Iran that has not worked for years now.  Senator McCain has consistently derided Barack Obama as naïve for his willingness to have tough direct diplomacy with Iran.  McCain has instead called for more sanctions and the continuation of a policy that has not worked for the past five years and that even President Bush is now backing away from.  He even put out an advertisement two weeks ago reaffirming this position and deriding Obama’s position on Iran.  [John McCain conference call, 5/15/08. JohnMcCain.com]

Quick Hits

General David Petraeus has left Iraq for CentCom, as General Ray Odierno takes command of coalition forces in Iraq.  Kagan, Kagan and Keane have an article in the Weekly Standard about the importance of maintaining recent security gains and pressing for political reconciliation.

International markets dropped precipitously on the Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch developments yesterday; the bad news continues today as AIG has been downgraded and races to raise capital.

Oil has fallen to less than $100 per barrel as traders fear an economic slowdown; The lower price of oil may be good news but is only happening as a result of the failure of the broader economy.

Former House majority leader Richard Armey alleges that Vice President Dick Cheney pressured him to vote for the Iraq war by linking Saddam Hussein to al Qaeda and saying that Iraq was “making rapid progress toward a suitcase nuclear weapon.”

The Ukrainian government has collapsed due to an impasse between President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and the factions loyal to them.

Taliban militants are targeting Afghan National Police and have killed 720 in the past six months alone, and 925 in 2007.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert just before Olmert resigns and leaves office in a “last-ditch effort” to reach a peace deal under the current government.

North Korea tested the engine mechanism for a long-range missile.

Pakistan has given orders for its troops to open fire if the U.S. moves into Pakistani territory in another cross-border raid from Afghanistan.