Monday, October 6, 2008

Bush snubs Iran breakthrough opportunity

Did Bush fear it would have undermined McCain? Some Iranians read it as indicative of no interest from America in anything but regime change or attack.
clipped from www.atimes.com
Bush's final Iran blunder?
By announcing that the United States is no longer interested in opening a consular office in Iran, the George W Bush administration has forfeited a golden opportunity for a timely diplomatic breakthrough with Iran
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki
also stated clearly and unambiguously Iran's willingness to consider a "freeze-for-freeze" option on its nuclear program
Iran's new signs of compromise have fallen on deaf ears in the US
Had Bush given a green light to a diplomatic presence in Iran, it would have undermined McCain's foreign policy objectives, benefiting Obama.


But, more than the election concerns, the role and influence of pro-Israel lobbyists deserves consideration
Bush's decision is yet another blunder that ranks with the negative reaction of the White House to an Iranian peace initiative in 2003.
The message that is being read

is that no matter how much interest Iran shows
Washington
still prioritizes
regime change or
outright attack on Iran
blog it

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I wouldn't be too quick to call it his final blunder; the jerk still has a little more than 3 months left in office. Never underestimate the king's stupidity.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

(D'oh, one more try)
I think the Bush regime think of diplomacy in much the same way as evolution, they doubt its existence or usefulness. It won't have taken much to cool them on idea and McCain and AIPAC will have been very vocal. But much like the 2003 snub it will not be part of the popular narrative and Iran will continue to be portrayed as the unreasonable aggressor. Utterly surreal.

Naj said...

well he withheld arms shipment to Israel; so he had to give something back to AIPAC in exchange!