Specter sides with Obama on handling rogue nations

Source: MorningCall

12:33 PM EDT, May 21, 2008

WASHINGTON - Sen. Barack Obama's proposal to talk with the leaders of Iran and North Korea without preconditions has been met with harsh criticism from President Bush and Sen. John McCain in recent days. But the idea has the support from at least one Republican -- Sen. Arlen Specter.

The Pennsylvanian, who has long championed sit-downs with enemies of the United States, told The Morning Call today that the country needs "a very fundamental shift in our thinking in our international diplomacy."

"I'm not going to disagree with McCain, I'm going to tell him what I think," Specter said. "I had some good talks with … (Yasser) Arafat and (Col. Muammar) Qaddafi and (Fidel) Castro."

Specter has met with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in recent years, in defiance of the Bush administration. Three years ago, he met with Venezuela president Hugo Chavez.



Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-specter0521-cn,0,7438857.story

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Today is Opposite Day :crazy:
Democrats and Our Enemies
By JOSEPH LIEBERMAN
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121132806884008847.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

And I'm not surprised to see a moderate Republican supporting a very sensible policy. The hard-liners are going to lose badly this year.

And on a side note: Fuck you Joe Lieberman! You suck!

He talks a good talk, but usually backs down when it comes time for a vote. He makes me kind of sad, because he tip-toes up to the edge of grow-a-spine ravine, but then steps back from the edge into the warm embrace of pandering to power.

he gives cover for conservative democrats to move more to the left - kind of a reverse Lieberman.

I'm afraid that what he really does is give the impression that Republicans allow unique thought within the party, which they rarely do. If he didn't tow the party line in votes, he would be kicked out, like Joe Schwartz was.

they really feel.

:kick:

but do the Dems always have to clean up the GOP's mess, only
to have the GOPs take over and mess it up again?

any sane person should know that if you close the lines of communication there's never any hope for resolution.

Serious negotiation with your allies is seldom necessary. Serious negotiation with your adversaries, on the other hand, is critical. But there's that "sane" person stuff creeping in again.

Welcome to DU, though. :hi: Sorry it couldn't be under more sane circumstances.

You're Right (as in correct, lol!) :)
Thank you for the welcome !

Don't have enemies.

Have ADVERSARIES.

Different thing.

I believe that most Republican voters would agree with Specter.

he has never repented sitting down with and helping domestic enemies of the United States to cover up the murder of a president. I'll believe he has the interests of the country at heart when he comes clean on that.

You obviously know who I'm talking about.

I don't agree with all of Specter's policies, but he has always struck me as a decent man. I appreciate his stand here.

juvenile in their mentality, but also dangerous.

He talks bigtime nonpartisan bullshit. But he always votes as the fascist party dictates.

what do we have to show for it? North Korea has nukes, Iran has us by the short-hairs in Iraq, Syria and Hezbollah are still raising hell in Lebanon, and Hamas is now in charge of the Palestinian territories. This kind of "strategy" is driving the world into a ditch.

- should always have inverted commas around it.

Pisses me off that this has become part of our lexicon now. Any nation that disagrees with the imperialist, corporatist policies of the Empire is branded a "rogue" without question.

Bombing nations into submission should NOT be US policy.

France does.
Israel does.
Hamas won elections.
FDR spoke to Stalin who killed 20 million or so.

Why not Hamas?