Posted on 09/21/2006 9:14:18 AM PDT by presidio9
Former President Clinton said Thursday the U.S. should try talking to Iran about its nuclear weapons ambitions without imposing a lot of conditions.
"If you think you might have trouble with somebody, and God forbid if you think it could lead to a military confrontation, then there needs to be the maximum amount of contact beforehand," Clinton said in an interview with NBC's "Today" show.
The Bush administration has refused to hold direct talks with Iran until it agrees to suspend enrichment of uranium, which the U.S. fears will be used to build nuclear weapons.
"The United States should not be afraid to talk to anyone. They should not be reluctant and shouldn't have too many conditions," said Clinton, who said his own offer to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's predecessor had been rebuffed.
The U.S. and allies have offered Iran a package of incentives in return for its agreement to stop uranium enrichment. But Iran has given no definitive response and missed an Aug. 31 U.N. Security Council deadline to halt uranium enrichment, which Iran says is for generating electricity.
Iran and the United States have had no direct diplomatic relations since 1979. That's when Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held its occupants hostage for 444 days to protest Washington's refusal to hand over the toppled shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
President Bush and Ahmadinejad used separate appearances at the U.N. General Assembly in New York this week to spar over Tehran's nuclear program, but they avoided any personal contact.
In May, Ahmadinejad sent a letter seeking a debate with Bush, but it was laced with old grievances against America and included a long list of Iranian demands.
Clinton said although he would like to see more negotiation with Iran, Bush's reluctance to personally meet with Ahmadinejad was understandable.
"I think we should have some contacts with them," Clinton said. "I'm not sure the president is the place to start."
In an interview broadcast Thursday on National Public Radio, Clinton said, " ... I still believe that, based on all my Iranian friends in America, what they say is that the vast majority of Iranian citizens want to have good relationships with the United States and the West and do not want to be at odds."
"But they all believe basically that if any other country has a right to nuclear power, they do too, so we have to work through that and I, I hope we can do it in a peaceful way," he said.
Iran should talk to the hand.....
Yeah, send her with an EXTRA LARGE bomb belt . More bang for the body .
You know, is there some sort of damn shadow government consisting of Clinton, Carter, Albright, Powell, Berger and the rest running the country that nobody told me about? No? Well then WHY IN THE HELL WON'T THEY SHUT THE F*(K UP ALREADY!?!?!
13 years after WTC 1 and this yutz still hasn't learned a thing about dealing with Islamo-fascists.
This is perfect. It is an exquisite example of Clinton politics. Here's its slogan: "Talk is precious, action is cheap." Perfect.
The same way Clinton and Alnotsobright talked to N. Korea who wound up with nukes shortly thereafter. F%*king traitors.
The impeached, disgraced, philandering former super-governor/husband & father of the year, 1999, elaborated by saying, "Ah've already got my rap! `Ah know where you're comin' from, it's a tough place, ah feel your pain and can relate, we need to adopt goals rather than positions, ah won't move your cheeze, ah promise, can't we all jus' get along?' Somethin' like that, you know?
And ah got mah onion in mah pocket in case tears are needed, know what ah'm sayin'?"
"Clinton said, " ... I still believe that, based on all my Iranian friends in America"
Name one of those "friends" Mr. Clinton! Why should we believe a word you say!
Jimmy Carter is our man. Send him over, they already know him.
Typical Clinton - not a shred of substance in anything he said.
Now why didn't we think of that in the first place? Yeah, that'll work.
I mean, it worked on Hitler, didn't it?
Um, I mean....it worked on Stalin, didn't it?
Um, I mean....it worked on Hirohito, didn't it?
Um, I mean...it worked on Saddam Hussein, didn't it?
Um, I mean...it worked on the Taliban, didn't it?
Um, I mean...it worked on Osama bin Laden, didn't it?
Um, I mean.....
With a sign around his neck that reads: "CIA Agent"
Bill Clinton is a classless pig who has pi$$ed all over the tradition of not commenting on the next president, policy, etc.
Why have Bush and his father not given him the cold shoulder?, especially considering they are so big on protocol, propriety, etc.
All they do is enable him further to stab them in the back, stab his country in the back, and install "The Second Coming" (add your gratuitous double entendre here)in the White House.
Actually, Jimmy Carter took care of that 20 years ago.
Why must you insult classless pigs like that?
HF
I wonder if Jimmy Carter has a complex/hatred for American and its people for rejecting him so soundly in 1980.
It seems there is no enemy of American that he can't side with.
He is either a traitor or a committed marxist, or both.
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