Obama To Meet With A Leader To Be Named Later

Oh, for heaven's sake - now the Obama people want to pretend that Obama's pledge to meet, without preconditions, with the leader of Iran didn't actually represent a pledge to meet with its current President.  Joe Klein of TIME wants to ride this pony right into the barn - go, Joe!  Their gist - Ayatollah Khamenei, not President Ahmadinejad, is the "Supreme Leader" of Iran.

Let me say that I am delighted to learn of Ahmadinejad's demotion - last fall, he had a higher status in this Obama press release:

...we should never be afraid to confront the ranting lies of dictators like Ahmadinejad with the power of truth and the strength of our own values.

Now he has slipped from "dictator" to mere lackey; how the mighty have fallen!

Well, if Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenei is the go-to guy, I suppose it is fair to ask whether he is also noxious.  Let's ponder this quote reported in Dec 2000:

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Friday for the destruction of Israel, describing it as a "cancerous tumor" in the Middle East.

"Iran's stance has always been clear on this ugly phenomenon (Israel). We have repeatedly said that this cancerous tumor of a state should be removed from the region," Khamenei told thousands of Muslim worshippers in Tehran.

"The Palestinian issue is not an internal Israeli matter. It involves the interests of the whole Islamic world, including Iran. All should strive to return that piece of land to Islamic hands."

Khamenei offered an alternative solution which he said might be more "internationally acceptable":

"Palestinian refugees should return and Muslims, Christians and Jews could choose a government for themselves, excluding immigrant Jews.

"No one will allow a bunch of thugs, lechers and outcasts from London, America and Moscow to rule over the Palestinians," the ayatollah said in remarks broadcast on state radio.

And can we find a bit of Zionist conspiracy-mongering from Iran's latest leader?  Yes We Can!

"Today, I can clearly see that there are certain hands at work to create rifts and schisms between the Shia and the Sunni. The Zionists and arrogant powers are definitely involved in the bloody incidents and explosions taking place during congregational prayers at the mosques and Friday prayer grounds. Muslims have nothing to do with the incidents taking place in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries."

I should add that the footnote claims that is from a June 2005 speech but the link now fails and Google is not delivering other references to the phrase.  That said, here is a conciliatory bit from Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenei that everyone attributes to Wikipedia; the source is this Guardian article, with no cite at all:

Finally, Ahmadinejad's own call for regime change in Israel - "the occupying Zionist regime of Jerusalem should cease to exist in the page of time" - has been mistranslated and distorted into the notorious phrase, "Israel should be wiped off the map" by the western media. What is never reported is that Ayatollah Khamenei stated unequivocally immediately afterwards that "the Islamic Republic has never threatened and will never threaten any country".

As to who's on first in Iran, President Ahmadinejad took the lead in 2007 when the British sailors were seized (Joe Klein's comical assertion that Ahmadinejad "has no power over Iranian foreign policy" notwithstanding), spoke at the UN, and came to Columbia, so he is the person one might reasonably expect to meet with an American President. 

Regardless, it is absurd that Obama is making these bold promises with no apparent forethought; imagine if, as President, he had made a similar "no preconditions" pledge to meet with the leaders of Iran, Ahmadinejad tried to take him up on it, and Obama then explained that Ahmadinejad was not actuallly the leader he had in mind.  Faux pas.

Comments

[paul]

I overheard Bush make a disparaging remark about pedophiles...

any obama acloytes offended?

[kim]

Obama's holding out for the one of equal rank, waiting in the well.
====================================

[centralcal]

Goldfarb has a clip (over at Weekly Standard) that Klein and the crack Time team were unable to find.

Link under name.

[Neo]

Sen. Edward Kennedy has malignant brain tumor

[Brainster]

Tom, Klein should take a look at the YouTube video question where Obama made his foolish commitment. As the YouTuber asks "Would you be willing... to meet with the leaders of Iran, Syria, etc.," pictures pop up on the screen of Ahmadinejad, Assad, etc. So maybe Obama never specifically committed to meeting with the Holocaust Denier, but that's what the questioner was asking, clearly.

[clarice]

He said he'd never meet with them on a Thursday wearing madras pants but he said the last bit in a whisper and the media missed it. Yadayadayada you can't catch the fox..

[Gmax]

Maybe he was talking to Canadian embassy officials? Cuz then he could just pretend it was never said, or fire another staffer, plenty more where those come from.

[MayBee]

Ha! Tom should add that link to his report, centralcal.

Not only does Obama say he'd meet with Ahmadinejad, he then says the man has insane rantings (or something to that effect).
Sounds like a good partner for diplomacy.

[moqui]

not meeting with Ahmadinejad, but rather some future, less noxious leader . . . that sounds like a precondition, to me.

[MikeS]

Senator Obama claims that Iran is much stronger because of the war in Iraq. I don't believe that is true. I think Iran is militarily and politically weaker, unless we withdraw precipitously and Iran fills the power vacuum as Amadinijad has said he wants to do.

I think Iran's loss of political influence in the area was demonstrated when the Arab countries seemed to back or at least acquiesce to Israel in the war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

[MayBee]

Senator Obama claims that Iran is much stronger because of the war in Iraq.

Is Sen Obama wants to tell us what he thinks the ME would look like with Saddam in place and sanctions lifted, I'd love to hear it.
That's where we were headed.

Would we have known about Khan's fabulous traveling nuke network? Would Libya have continued to pass its IAEA inspections?
Would Iran be even more compelled to get its nukes built?

[Neo]

This should be called the "Energy Futility Act of 2008".

[RichatUF]

Neo-

Good grief. Sueing OPEC-that ought to really frighten them. Are the House democrats really this stupid? Maybe they can get BHO to craft the sternly worded complaint to give him some foreign policy cred...

And I'm still puzzling over BHO's statements regarding this "small country" Iran threat, which BHO will or maybe he won't talk to, either with or without Ahmadinejad and/or Khamenei. I don't think the previous sentence is even in English so I might be on my way to understanding his policy.

[skyler]

Supreme Leader Khamenei is the Supreme Leader of Iran as his official title, Supreme Leader, might suggest. Supreme Leader is the position formerly occupied by Ayatollah Khomenei -- heard of him? -- and Khamenei succeeded him. Khamenei controls the armed forces and he can veto anything the Iranian Parliament or Ahmadinejad do. Thus he is in fact the -- surprise -- Supreme Leader.

Ahmadinejad is more of a symbol than anything else. Khamenei lets him some slack to set agenda, but if Ahmadinejad steps out of line, Khamenei can shut him down at any time.

Really, if Ahmadinejad was the leader of Iran, then Iran would be pretty democratic instead of a theocracy.

[cathyf]

Well, ya know, if Obama is incoherent enough, then it doesn't matter who he talks to, right?

But, seriously, the whole "I'll talk to anybody" schtick is particularly frightening in combination with the Chance the Gardener thingy. Because it turns into "I'll talk to anyone, and when the conversation is over, the person I talked to will believe that I said things and agreed to things when I said no such thing." Given that we have WMDs that we do not in fact want to use, having a rorschach test personality ought to be a serious disqualification for the presidency.

[RichatUF]

skyler-

Ahmadinejad is more of a symbol than anything else. Khamenei lets him some slack to set agenda, but if Ahmadinejad steps out of line, Khamenei can shut him down at any time.

It must be Talking Points Tuesday. Ok, so when Ahmadinejad called Israel a "stinking corpse" he must have had sanction from Khamenei. When Hezbollah runs rough shot over Lebanon, it must have sanction by Ahmadinejad and Khamenei then.

I'm unimpressed with the word games so far, Bill Clinton was much better at it.

[Jane]

Really, if Ahmadinejad was the leader of Iran, then Iran would be pretty democratic instead of a theocracy.

That's some powerful kool-aid in your veins.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

"...and the pony he rode in on."

[PeterUK]

If Obama meets the Iranians he better wear his lead underwear.

[Rick Ballard]

"I'm unimpressed with the word games so far, Bill Clinton was much better at it."

Rich,

We're heading for "nobody could be that stupid" territory. Takes a look at this video. The man is solid bone from Jumbo ear to Jumbo ear.

[PeterUK]

"I'll talk to anyone, and when the conversation is over, the person I talked to will believe that I said things and agreed to things when I said no such thing."

The Iranians are past masters at this kind of thing,they will have the fillings out of Obama's teeth without him noticing.

[capitano]

Ahmadinejad "has no power over Iranian foreign policy"

Photo Ops nothwithstanding, if I were Ahmadinejad or one of the other whackjob evil empire types, I'd want to know the same thing about an Obama foreign policy. Seems to me Susan Rice is the "go to" person to discover the Messiah's policies du jour. Surely, you couldn't count on what BO says without checking with her first.

[RichatUF]

Rick-

WTF? Is he running for Ms. Teen USA or maybe Senior Cuddler for next Global Test? Bring in the Care Bears, he wants to be Hugger-In-Chief for the next most hugged country in the world contest.

[Rick Ballard]

Rich,

You don't think "speak softly and carry a big carrot" will work? I vote for hunting down his profs at Columbia with an eye towards tar and feathers. Giving someone that dumb a degree just can't be good educational policy.

[hit and run]

Do you think there exists a time in Obama's life where talking with people didn't get Obama what he wanted?

[Ann]

Well, Michelle comes to mind. :)

[RichatUF]

I needed to watch the clip twice. It doesn't improve.

This little bit from the post (some grist for the mill perhaps):

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Friday for the destruction of Israel, describing it as a "cancerous tumor" in the Middle East.

"Iran's stance has always been clear on this ugly phenomenon (Israel). We have repeatedly said that this cancerous tumor of a state should be removed from the region," Khamenei told thousands of Muslim worshippers in Tehran.

and this little bit from here...

JG: Do you think that Israel is a drag on America’s reputation overseas?

BO: No, no, no. But what I think is that this constant wound, that this constant sore, does infect all of our foreign policy...

The Iranians know exactly whom they are dealing with.

[PeterUK]

"Do you think there exists a time in Obama's life where talking with people didn't get Obama what he wanted?"

Yes, time spent talking to Mrs O.

[hit and run]

Heh, Ann, PUK, duly noted.

[M. Simon]

Obama did add a pre-condition:

"If I'm going to meet with the leader of Iran either he comes here or I go there. Maybe we could compromise on some where else. Plus I will not shake his hand unless he gets close enough. Not only that I will spread my feet to shoulder width and assume a tough negotiating stance. I've been taking lessons from Larry Craig. Or maybe his sister Jenny. I forget. "

[SukieTawdry]

RichatUF: Are the House democrats really this stupid?

Yes. And since the vote was 324-84, so are many House Republicans really that stupid.

[Democratic Rep. Steve Kagen of Wisconsin, who sponsored the legislation] said Americans "are at the mercy" of OPEC for how much they pay for gasoline...

A bit simplistic, but in any event, whose fault is that I wonder, Congressman.

As for Obama, please, I'm still reeling from the Brooks interview and all the talk of "grievances" and "root causes." Gave me a positive chill.

[Syl]

Joe Klein is an idiot whom everyone believes because he wrote a book that was made into a movie.

On CNN a couple of weeks ago on a primary night, when all of the 'Best Political Team' were whistling past the graveyard re Wright, Joe Klein reminded them all that Bush was hit with the 'AWOL' thing in early 2004 which gave it time to run its course so it wasn't brought up later during the general.

Huh?

Surely he's heard about RatherGate? September, 2004.