Marathon Pundit: Obama now thinks Iran is a threat--but he's still naive

Can't this guy make up his mind? From the Chicago Tribune's Swamp blog:

Speaking in Billings, Mont. , Obama told an audience that there is still work to be done to "secure the nomination." But he also said he is already getting a taste for the summer and fall campaign, after being criticized in recent days by Republicans for his willingness to talk to Iran without preconditions.

"Anything but their failed cowboy diplomacy that has produced no results is called appeasement," Obama countered. "Here's the truth: the Soviet Union had thousands of nuclear weapons and Iran doesn't have a single one. But when the world was on the brink of nuclear Holocaust, Kennedy talked to Khrushchev and he got those missiles out of Cuba . Why shouldn't we have the same courage and confidence to talk to our enemies? That's what strong countries do. That's what strong presidents do."

More...

"The Soviet Union had the ability to destroy the world several times over, had satellites spanning the globe, had huge masses of conventional military power, all directed at destroying us," he said. "So, I've made it clear for years that the threat from Iran is grave. But what I've said is that we should not just talk to our friends. We should be willing to engage our enemies as well. That's what diplomacy is all about."

And in conclusion...

"Iran is a grave threat. It has an illicit nuclear program. It supports terrorism across the region and militias in Iraq. It threatens Israel 's existence. It denies the Holocaust," he said. "The reason Iran is so much more powerful than it was a few years ago is because of the Bush-McCain policy of fighting in Iraq and refusing to pursue direct diplomacy with Iran. They're the ones who have not dealt with Iran wisely."

Big difference, however, between the Soviet Union and Iran. The leaders of the defunct state were stone-cold atheists--and the post-World War II heads of state had a genuine fear of war. Not that they would not have ever used force--both men did, but Nikita Kruschev and Leonid Brezhnev, upon death, viewed it as an end. Nuts like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad look at death as a beginning, and a death achieved in a "holy war" as a glorious blessing, and a ticket to paradise.

Obama doesn't get it.

Thanks for the link:

Say Anything Blog

Ken McCracken

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