Appeasers Everywhere

James Rubin notes that just a couple of years ago John McCain was talking like Neville Chamberlain:

I asked: "Do you think that American diplomats should be operating the way they have in the past, working with the Palestinian government if Hamas is now in charge?"

McCain answered: "They're the government; sooner or later we are going to have to deal with them, one way or another, and I understand why this administration and previous administrations had such antipathy towards Hamas because of their dedication to violence and the things that they not only espouse but practice, so . . . but it's a new reality in the Middle East. I think the lesson is people want security and a decent life and decent future, that they want democracy. Fatah was not giving them that."

Well, um, times change I guess. And look who wants to negotiate with Iran -- it's Secretary of Defense Robert Gates! Note also the 2004 Council on Foreign Relations Task Force on co-chaired by Gates that released the very sensible "Iran: Time for a New Approach" report. And, yes, the new approach was not a McCain-style "bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran."

Comments

McCain can joke about the US bombing Iran. Hilarious!

But .. discussions with Tehran are far to serious to be hinted at, much less joked about.

I guess inflicting mass death is just somehow funnier to him.

Posted by riffle | May 16, 2008 12:58 PM

Don't forget McCain's flip-flop on talking with Syria:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-bergmann/mccain-was-in-favor-of-ta_b_102099.html

Posted by jesse | May 16, 2008 1:02 PM

Are Bush and McCain really this incompetent or are they playing at something here? Maybe they're trying to give Obama a big lead so that McCain can stay on the attack.

Posted by Mike | May 16, 2008 1:06 PM

Don't forget that the Israelis themselves (you know, the people, not the government) actually want to negotiate with Hamas.

That's why I think Bush basically said that Israelis are like Nazi appeasers.

Posted by ChrisWWW | May 16, 2008 1:19 PM

Gates seems like he might be the one person to emerge from the Bush Administration with his reputation intact.

Posted by Matt Weiner | May 16, 2008 1:37 PM

If we do sit down with Hamas or Iran, of course, we will naturally end up giving them the Sudetenland for a promise of peace.

I just wonder how we're going to structure that: Some sort of joint ownership or tenancy in common? Or is just whoever gets us to the table first? And what happens if we someday have to negotiate with Slovakia or the Czech Republic? The mind boggles.

Posted by southpaw | May 16, 2008 1:40 PM

APPEASEMENT?

Is that anything like letting Bin Laden walk around making videos -- and Al Qaeda gain strength -- almost SEVEN years after they killed 3000 citizens of the world nuclear-armed superpower?

Because you are too busy using the US military to grab oil wells in IRaq and the Caspian Sea?

Or is appeasement continuing to press your lips against the royal buttocks of the Saudi king even though that is damaging America?

Why --JUST ONCE -- can't a Democratic Leader knock Bush's fucking teeth out??

Posted by Don Williams | May 16, 2008 2:07 PM

Congress appeased Israel and the ziocon cabal by assenting to a War on Iraq. They appeased the ziocon cabal by hiding their very identity and letting them skate on their War Crimes. They appeased Israel and the ziocon cabal by designation Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "terrorist group" and Hillary Clinton appeased Israel and the ziocon cabal via her promise to "obliterate" Iran if it so much as looked at Israel sideways.

McCain calculated years ago that in order to become President he needed to carry water for Israel and the ziocon cabal and it fits in nicely with his own morally perverted notion of "bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" American hegemony. Hagee is just another cheerleader for that cause. Gary Hart says McCain knows better but that he's selling what's left of his soul to become our next C-I-C. So, in other words- compared to McCain-

Hitler had purer motives. Stalin had a vision larger than himself. Mao was the more authentic man. And, Mengele was a noble man of science. John McCain - quite a guy.

Posted by Trevor | May 16, 2008 3:07 PM

I wait and wait to see any of McCain's flip flops mention on any nightly news show...

(crickets chirping)

Posted by Judson | May 16, 2008 3:08 PM

Re Trevor

Gee, McCain worse then Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Mengele. I think that Mr. Trevor doesn't have both oars in the water.

Posted by SLC | May 16, 2008 3:47 PM

Seems like everybody can talk about or to Iran.

Except Matt.

Wonder why?

Posted by Richard Steven Hack | May 16, 2008 10:05 PM