Rice: Dialogue with Iran is surrender to blackmail

[sabra]

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3351344,00.html

Rice: Dialogue with Iran is surrender to blackmail

WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended in a Congress hearing Thursday the Bush administration's opposition to maintaining contacts with Iran and Syria in an effort to recruit their help in Iraq, in opposition to the recommendations of the Baker-Hamilton Report.

Rice explained that Iranian and Syrian aid in Iraq has a clear price tag that the United States is unwilling to pay.

Rice appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee a day after Bush's speech unveiling his strategic change in Iraq, in which he declared a series of moves to be made in an attempt to stabilize the country, and to put an end to the spiraling violence that has taken a high toll on American lives in Iraq.

In the hearing, which was summoned Democratic Senator Joe Biden, Republican Senator Richard Lugar said that the United States needs to hold a dialogue with Tehran and Damascus.

Rice responded that dialogue with Iran and Syria will mean that the United States is succumbing to blackmail. Iran, according to her, will demand in exchange for aiding the US in Iraq that the US lighten up its tough stance on Tehran's nuclear program.

[Roland99]

1. NO! It's called "DIPLOMACY" you stupid #$%#$% #$#$^!!!!!!

[ReadTomPaine]

4. Precisely. We've had much greater, more intractable foes...

and we prevailed against them exactly because we kept diplomatic avenues open for resolution in our favor. James Baker himself has said this, for goodness sake.

[endarkenment]

28. Does the State Department have anything to do with diplomacy?

Nobody could have expected that the state department would have to engage in diplomacy with nations we don't completely agree with. I'm sure the secretary of state has better things to do than bother with diplomacy. For example, she could be buying some new shoes.

And since when does congress get to ask actual questions of someone as important and busy as kindofnasty rice? How rude.

[Roland99]

30. How dare they make her feel the least bit uncomfortable. How...how...undiplomatic!

[PDJane]

2. She's been infected with the Dubya virus..........

[Morgana LaFey]

32. Nooooo, she's a neocon in her own right, I'm pretty sure

But it's sure a sick, sick philocophy, isn't it, this notion that only might and utter defeat will work. I've been so fascinated to observe that these people don't just want to "win" they want to DECIMATE their "enemies" (they don't have opponents). Mere success isn't enough; total and eternal victory through annihilation is what's required.

[ShockediSay]

33. Talk about your didactic nt

[Robb]

3. di·plo·ma·cy (di-ploh-muh-see) –noun:

the conduct by government officials of negotiations and other relations between nations.

:eyes:

[leftyladyfrommo]

5. I'm all for discussing things - doesn't mean you have to agree or

give in to things you don't want to.

Right - it's not giving in to blackmail. It's diplomacy.

Their alternative - refusal to communicate - is really not working all that well.

I think there is something wrong with Rice.

[Megahurtz]

6. Oh Jeez!!!

:banghead:

[slay]

7. What is she a fucking CHILD pouting in the corner?!?!

"I don't wanna talk to Iran cause they are mean." Ugh. We have got to stop electing these neo-con IDIOTS who are so far out of touch with reality that they refuse to even attempt a diplomatic option!!! :mad:

[Az_lefty]

9. good description of her husband...err, I mean boss n/t

[Supersedeas]

23. more vagaries from the Queen of ambiguity

[Amonester]

25. Yes, they R idiots. But their idiocy pays (very "few" of) them...

an awful lot of millions of dough-liars.

See. They Want War$. Nothing else pay$ as "Well" as total War$.

And The $acrifice$ ain't theirs to pay. Believe moi.

Never Forget NO.

[KaryninMiami]

8. Dialoge with Iran? Why bother? We just stormed their consulate in Iraq

Which can be considered an act of war. Why Dialoge when they can just do what they've always wanted to do (and have been getting ready to do for the past 6 months)-- simply provoke them into starting a war.

Interesting that this story has yet to be picked up on the mainstream, corporate media- at least not as far as I've seen yet on CNN or MSNBC. Wonder why?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6251167.stm

US forces storm Iranian consulate

US forces have stormed an Iranian consulate in the northern Iraqi town of Irbil and seized six members of staff.
The troops raided the building at about 0300 (0001GMT), taking away computers and papers, according to Kurdish media and senior local officials.

The US military would only confirm the detention of six people around Irbil.

Tehran said the attack violated all international conventions. It has summoned ambassadors from Switzerland, representing US interests, and Iraq.

A spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry described the raid as an attempt to sabotage Tehran's relations with Iraq. One Iranian MP said it showed America's cruelty and meanness.

The raid comes amid high Iran-US tension.

[global1]

11. Seems To Me This Is BREAKING NEWS.......nt

[KaryninMiami]

20. Me too. I think I just saw mention that Reuters has it now - but not on CNN

Guess it's not "breaking" enough. Wonder if they'll tell us when they drop the bomb on Iran or have us find out from the BBC...

This is beyond disturbing.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

10. This is too freakin' wierd!

I am reading "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" by Shirer right now. In it, he describes how Hitler manipulated events/media/people to set the stage for his madness. One of the tactics used was to make outrageous, untrue claims about the countries he was planning on dominating. Like Poland, Austria and Checkoslovakia. It's just like Condi's statement. What is she talking about?

[rodeodance]

12. how does she know that?????

[saskatoon]

13. Bush, Look into his soul

Like you did with that killer Putin and pronounced him a dandy fine fellar!

[zonkers]

14. Rice is one spun bitty that just scares the living shit out of me.

[Eugene]

15. Hello, Condi? Diplomacy means talking to people you may not like. That's your job.

That's what the State Department is there for.
War happens when diplomacy fails.

Everybody in the Middle East wants something.
With tough and smart diplomacy, you can deal
with adversaries without giving them everything
they want. Talk is not surrender.

[Bear down under]

16. Who is blackmailing whom here?

"Do as I say, give me what I want, or all options on the table" sounds mighty like blackmail to me.

[tanyev]

17. Oh, Condi. Come here.

Look, here's a nice pretty shoe to keep you occupied. Let the competent people handle these things, K?

[Contrite]

34. Did you see that photo the press took today

of her lower legs/shoes while she was at the podium?

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/ss/events/pl/111604condirice/im:/070111/ids_photos_ts/r1312955992.jpg

[Tom Joad]

18. Dialoge with Iran will not be allowed by AIPAC. For them, war is the only answer

Which is why america needs to say no to AIPAC.
www.StopAIPAC.org

[donkeyotay]

26. The neocons simply adopted what worked for the Likud

Israel can't talk to its enemies either. It guarantees that the war bidness will continue.

[mzmolly]

19. RICE: blah blah blah mushroom cloud blah blah blah.

RICE: ZERO CREDIBILITY, along with that hillbilly wanna be husband - errrr pResident of hers.

[BlueManDude]

21. We had dialogue with the Soviet Union for 50 years

and they had 1000s of nukes pointed at us. Does that mean we forfieted our right to defend ourselves or gave in to Commie totalitarianism?

[superconnected]

22. Condies got too much blood on her hands over iraq to expect her

to preform her job honestly and diplomatically now.

She will help draw the blood of Iran and there will be no diplomacy.

This is because she is a monster, not a diplomat.

She should be hung along side bush, rove and cheney, for war crimes. She's not capable of being rehabilitated.

I so hope our congress will hold her accountable and that she will see justice for her actions.

[killbotfactory]

24. These assholes see diplomacy as a sign of weakness

They're making war inevitable.

[damntexdem]

27. Hmm, the Sec of State says that diplomacy is surrender.

More than Dubya and Cheney need to be booted out of their jobs.

[sakabatou]

29. .

:banghead:

[Zorra]

31. Diplomacy only means blackmail to warmongering fascist

imperialists like the PNAC cabal.