Bush To Go To Iran?

The idea of having Bush go to Iran and speak with hardliners and moderates there is one of the best ideas I've heard in some time. For a man of peace and democracy, as Bush puts out all the time, this would seem a no-brainer.

This kind of talk, of course, would call Bush's hand--either put up or shut up--or show that he's been bluffing and blustering the whole time.

My guess is that such a common-sense view just won't pass muster with Bush's task-masters Cheney and RumsFeld, not to mention their chorus of neo-cons. These guys still have the view that it's our way or the highway. Little Bush just sits at the feet of these "teachers" and listens, then sets off to do their bidding like it's scripture. ...

According to Steve Clemons, quoting Nir Rosen's (NR) interview with Foreign Policy (FP) magazine:

FP: Christopher Hitchens has proposed a "Nixon goes to China" approach to Iran. What do you think of this idea?

NR: I think that's probably the first intelligent thing I've heard Hitchens say in the past five years.

I think that's very important. Had this happened earlier, perhaps Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would have not won the elections.

The Iranians have been speaking about a dialogue of civilizations for a long time, and Washington has responded only with threats and enmity, really.

I think increased business ties would certainly strengthen the U.S.-Iranian relations. I don't think there's any reason for the United States and Iran to be enemies, apart from the Iranian-Israeli hostility.

I think they are natural allies. It's about time Washington made an overture to Iran. We certainly don't want to miss the boat and let the Europeans make inroads economically in Iran, a market the United States needs.

The Iranian people have no inherent hostility toward the United States. I think such a move would work.

Clemons says that he and Wesley Clarke have been advocating this idea for some time. Since everyone's tooting their prognosticating skills, I'll confess that I've advocated moderation and liaiasons with Iran for at least the last six months.

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