...and there's enough to make his lips and gums jealous.
If you watched the McCain v. Obama debate, and are inclined to wonder about such things as whether preconditions means preconditions, or are contemplating what the meaning of "is" is, Barack Obama did not disappoint. Yet again, he denied the undeniable i.e. that he said he would meet unconditionally with the Iranian nutcase, Ahmadinejad, or Kim Jong Il (if he's still available to take a meeting).
From CNN:
BLITZER: And explain what your position is, exactly, on meeting with adversaries directly without preconditions,
good, that's exactly what I wanted to know
BLITZER: whether Ahmadinejad or Hugo Chavez or Kim Jong Il, because there has been some confusion. Would you meet unconditionally with these other leaders?
OBAMA: There has been no confusion.
I should have suspected that Wolf Blitzer and I were the only ones confused.
OBAMA: I have been absolutely clear on this.
this is good, he's going to be absolutely clear, so there can be no denials, no confusion.
OBAMA: I will meet not just with our friends but with our enemies. I will meet without preconditions.
I see it with my own eyes, and yet, and yet, he's so adamant that he didn't say it, maybe, just maybe he means something different. Did he say it?
I will meet without preconditions.
OBAMA: That does not mean I will meet without preparation.
darn, he means "preparation", but what about preconditions? No preconditions, but preparation. Let's listen some more for the clarification (he's a very articulate speaker, maybe I just can't follow his articulations.)
OBAMA: It is very important before any meeting to make sure that there is a list of agenda items that we are going to be talking about.
ok. Preparation means agenda items. Come prepared for the meeting. I get it. Preparation. Come prepared for a meeting without preconditions. Bring your list.
OBAMA: But the difference is with me, for example, meeting with Iran,
with you meeting with Iran...yes, Mr. President, what would be the difference in your meeting with Iran without preconditions? I know you'll come with a list of agenda items; you want to be prepared, after all.
OBAMA: I would not expect that they would give in on critical issues like nuclear weapons before the meeting. The objective of the meeting would be to ensure that they stand down and that we've offered them carrots and sticks.
Wow. Well that is quite a difference from those who would expect them to give in on the nuclear weapons issues. Thanks for clarifying.
But maybe he really doesn't mean that he as President should meet with them, even though that's what he said. He must be talking about lower level meetings at the secretary or agency levels, right? Let's listen some more.
BLITZER: Would that also include possibly visiting those countries? Going to Tehran, or Havana or -- and meeting with those leaders?
Would you, President Obama, meet with Ahmadinejad? You...him...meet?
OBAMA: I don't want to sort of lay out the details of a trip. The point is, we would initiate direct talks with them. And I believe that our president is also the person who has to make significant breakthroughs. That's been true in the past, when Nixon went to China, when Reagan met with Gorbachev. That has always been our approach. This is not something unique. What's been unique is the span of time with the Bush-Cheney approach where you don't talk to your adversaries. That is not a sign of strength. That's a sign of weakness. I want to reverse it as president of the United States.
I, as President, will meet with Ahmadinejad, and other dictators without preconditions, armed with a list of agenda items; then I will go to Tehran and other places, and then I will deny that I said this.
I wonder why Hillary Clinton remarked about his position:
"We simply cannot legitimize rogue regimes or weaken American prestige by impulsively agreeing to presidential talks that have no preconditions," Clinton said. "It may sound good, but it doesn't meet the real-world test of foreign policy."
You know, Mr. Obama, when she's right, she's right.
And she probably didn't even know you'd be denying that you said it. Again.
And if that isn't clear enough, go directly to the Obama-Biden website where you will read with your eyes:
Diplomacy: Obama supports tough, direct presidential diplomacy with Iran without preconditions.