Views on Diplomacy

Dick Pohlman had a merciless evaluation of Obama’s Bambi problem
on his American Debate blog today. He may be (probably is) right, but I disagree with the underlying basis of the issue.

I think Obama’s answer was the correct one, that the “preconditions” the questioner had in mind and which Obama based his reply upon, were such things as stopping uranium enrichment and not a simple discussion of the meeting agenda. Hillary’s reply was, to me, only slightly less arrogant than the position that Bush has held for six years.

“Yes,” Hillary is saying. “I’ll meet with you, but only on my terms and the agenda will include only those items that I am willing to discuss.”

That she might be “held hostage to propaganda purposes” if a topic arises that is not on her agenda sounds really good as a sound bite in a farcial campaign presentation labeled as a debate, but it is factually absurd.

Part of the sadness that I hold regarding my country is that we walk in the community of nations with so much arrogance that we engender ill will and hatred. This really is a great nation and we need a leader who will represent that greatness with more of the dignity of being one in a community of equals, and not with the chest thumping and braying of a gorilla ruling his patch of jungle.