Jesse Jackson willing to negotiate for hostages

CNN.com ^ | April 18, 2004 | Staff

[kennedy]

American civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson said Sunday that he has "had prayer" with the wife of Thomas Hamill, an American contractor abducted in Iraq, and promised his family he would try to win his freedom.

Jackson said he was also "reaching out" to the family of U.S. Army Pfc. Matt Maupin, a U.S. soldier who also was kidnapped in Iraq by insurgents, and had joined with Pope John Paul II in calling for the release of all hostages kidnapped in Iraq.

[kennedy]

"if I know with whom to talk and know where to go"

I'd be happy to tell him where to go.

[Slings and Arrows]

Jesse Jackson willing to negotiate for hostages

Sounds good to me. How much do we offer the terrorists to take Jackson hostage?

[The KG9 Kid]

Don't go, Reverend. These guys aren't like the others.

We'd have Jesse Jackson as a hostage with some Hizbollah lunatics holding an AK to his head lickety-split, and that's all we'd hear about until election day.

[Pearls Before Swine]

Don't go, Reverend. These guys aren't like the others. We'd have Jesse Jackson as a hostage...

That's the idea.

[Maverick88]

( Jesseee Jackson ? ) Enough Already. What would it take to trade Jackson for the release of the hostages?

[cynicom]

How does one negotiate when they have nothing to offer????

[FairOpinion]

"But I think you can be certain that negotiations with terrorists are not on this president's agenda. "
--- Condi Rice on FoxNews Sunday today

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,117427,00.html

Apparently Jesse Jackson can't comprehend that you don't negotiate with terrorists.

[The KG9 Kid]

Yeah, and this particular instance of Schaedenfreude would be a disaster.

[Cicero]

Actually they may very well hand the hostages over to Jesse Jackson. It will be a great PR opportunity for them. Jackson undertood such a mission before, and succeeded.

That would be annoying, because the leftists would have a propaganda holiday, but I'm certainly willing to accept it for the sake of the hostages.

[wiseone]

Im PRAYING both jackson and Sharpton travel to Iraq to negotiate for the hostages, because muslims can't be conned by jackass jackson and Sharpy sharpton's scams!

[kingu]

"The U.S. is holding a significant number of theirs," he said. "I think in a situation like this ... the issue of negotiation and swap must not be out of the picture," Jackson said. ... "Certainly if someone has all the odds in their favor, they have the hatchet in their hand, and your neck is over the fence, you do nothing to incite them," he added. "You appeal to their better judgment, you make humanitarian, moral appeal, not a military threat."

Uhh, thank you, Jesse Jackson. Giving rewards for kidnapping only ensures more kidnapping. But, hey, Jesse should go over there and for once the kidnappers should have the intelligence to realize that they have a much better political pawn in their hands.

[Cicero]

We don't negotiate with hostages, but Jesse Jackson does. I think the distinction is clear enough. He doesn't represent me, and he doesn't represent our government. All he can "give" them is a propaganda opportunity. The U.S. government wouldn't give them anything. The only alternative would be to block his trip, and I think that would be a bad idea.

[tjwmason]

Actually they may very well hand the hostages over to Jesse Jackson.

I can just see that now. The merest threat that Jesse Jackson will continue to talk to them would cause even the most hardened terrorists to release their captives.

[tsali]

What a jerk--- no wonder he is referred to as Jessie JackASS

[kennedy]

[prairiebreeze]

Jesse is out of his league trying to negotiate with the Fedyheen Saddam, Syrians and Iranians.

OTOH, there are probably many arms deals to be made in Iraq. Ping.

Prairie

[muawiyah]

So, Jesse finds out he's a Christian, and so do the Arab terrorists who take the opportunity to kill him.

Has anybody tried to explain to this guy that this time he won't be dealing with Khadaffi?

[ClearCase_guy]

Jackson said he was also "reaching out" to the family of U.S. Army Pfc. Matt Maupin,

Traslation: Jackson called the family, hoping to use them in a photo op. They told him to take a flying leap. So, no photo op, but he'll try to get some mileage out of them by referencing his efforts to "reach out" to the family anyway.

[HarryCaul]

"The U.S. is holding a significant number of theirs," he said. "I think in a situation like this ... the issue of negotiation and swap must not be out of the picture," Jackson said.

Well, it is out of the picture, as it must be. So where does that leave Jackson? All he can offer is saying please. Worth a try, I suppose, but I'm not holding my breath.