"Send more hostages"
Posted on 06/23/2008 5:17:40 AM PDT by nuconvert
Toehold in Tehran?
By Fred Hiatt
June 23, 2008
A smart idea to shake up U.S. policy and reach out to the Iranian people is being debated in Washington, but the debate isn't taking place within or between the presidential campaigns. It's going on inside the Bush administration.
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. This would fall short of full diplomatic recognition, but it would open a channel to the Iranian people and, maybe, eventually, to the regime as well.
The idea has been under discussion for close to two years and could be adopted within weeks -- though officials continue to worry about how to package such a proposal without having it appear, one said, "as a sign of weakness." They worry about the effect of such a signal on Iran, on U.S. negotiating partners in Europe and on domestic politics, given the clash between Barack Obama and John McCain about the wisdom of negotiating with Iranian leaders.
Beneath the debate is an effort by the administration to bequeath to its successor a foreign policy on something of an even keel, and a belief that Iran may be the relationship furthest from achieving that.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Stick any American in there and have anything happen to Iran’s nuke facilities, and you’ll have instant hostages.
No thanks.
Oh, yeah, what a lovely insane idea — just hand the Mullahocracy some hostages on a silver platter.
Who thought up this idiocy?
” and you’ll have instant hostages “
Been there - done that - got the embassy....
Upon further reflection, the last time we gave the Iranians a gaggle of hostages, it virtually ensured the election of Ronald Reagan...
Hmmmmmmm........
Reach out to the Iranian people? what good would *that* do? Do these clowns really think that the Iranian people have any say about how their country is run? Do they think that the 9th Century pigfornicators running Iran give a hoot about "popular opinion"?
Geeze....talk about naive!
Is Jimmy Carter working in the State Dept.?
Yeah, State Dept. Maddie Albright holdovers maybe? Hostage bait perhaps? If they only know us they'll like us. Can't we all just get along?
"Send more hostages"
? pong
They are not holdovers in the Red infested State Dept....they been there a long time...the red dooper diaper children are now in policy control @ State and have been so since becoming enscounced during FDR’s Fascist reign!
Aim it at young people (under the age of 35) with nothing overt - a displayed of American style - and it might work - - a freedom is fun and challenging kind of setup...
I thought the same thing. Why is it some people don’t learn from the past?
Why does not the entire State Dept simply move to Tehran?
In that honest move, they can all then mutually
support terrorists, murderers and slavery.
This presidency is not just lost, its marooned.
Smart? Fred Hiatt of the WaPo thinks it's smart to give AlmondineJihad an organized little group of hostages. So does the State Dept.
I guess it COULD be a smart idea depending on what your actual goal is.
We, the self serving, spineless Hate-America-First media frame the debate and set the baseline for no one to question that the extremely LIBERAL idea of only giving in to Iran...is being debated in Washington.
I am all for it.....but lets send them Charlie Manson and Jimmy Carter to run the place!!
State Dep’t “professionals”. With Condi’s approval; anyone still want her for veep?
That shows some honesty in thinking.
I thought that American interest sections could be as little as a desk in someone else’s embassy. Usually, it is staffed by English speaking nationals of that embassy.
I seem to recall something about this in the movie “Not without my daughter”, with (actress) Sally Fields chatting with a Swiss or Swedish staffer about her custody issue in Iran.
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