2 June 2009
Taking the Word of a Madman
Posted by Joy Bischoff under: World Affairs .
My remarks will be embedded within the following article:
Obama says Iran’s energy concerns legitimate
By NANCY ZUCKERBROD
The Associated Press
Tuesday, June 2, 2009 1:45 PM
LONDON — President Barack Obama reiterated that Iran may have some right to nuclear energy _ provided it takes steps to prove its aspirations are peaceful.
(It is completely unreasonable to believe that the West hating Iranian leadership would allow intensive inspections in the dozens of facilities throughout the country. We know from past experience how easy it is to hide military secrets.)
In a BBC interview broadcast Tuesday, Obama also restated plans to pursue direct diplomacy with Tehran to encourage it to set aside any ambitions for nuclear weapons it might harbor.
Iran has insisted its nuclear program is aimed at generating electricity. But the U.S. and other Western governments accuse Tehran of seeking atomic weapons.
(Apparently, the president did not hear about Ahmadinejad’s rant in September of 2006 at the U.N. where he discussed the return of the twelfth Imam. Then in November, he gave a speech explaining that his revolution would pave the way for the return of the Imam. The Shi-ite belief is that there will be a great revolutionary war that will bring the return and usher in an era of peace for Muslims.)
“Without going into specifics, what I do believe is that Iran has legitimate energy concerns, legitimate aspirations. On the other hand, the international community has a very real interest in preventing a nuclear arms race in the region,” Obama said.
The comments echo remarks Obama made in Prague last month in which he said his administration would “support Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy with rigorous inspections” if Iran proves it is no longer a nuclear threat.
(How can we trust Ahmadinejad when he has publicly stated that Israel should be wiped off the map, and he has predicted their destruction? He is a madman.)
The president has indicated a willingness to seek deeper international sanctions against Tehran if it does not respond positively to U.S. attempts to open negotiations on its nuclear program. Obama has said Tehran has until the end of the year to show it wants to engage.
“Although I don’t want to put artificial time tables on that process, we do want to make sure that, by the end of this year, we’ve actually seen a serious process move forward. And I think that we can measure whether or not the Iranians are serious,” Obama said.
Obama’s interview offered a preview of a speech he is to deliver in Egypt this week, saying he hoped the address would warm relations between Americans and Muslims abroad.
“What we want to do is open a dialogue,” Obama told the BBC. “You know, there are misapprehensions about the West, on the part of the Muslim world. And, obviously, there are some big misapprehensions about the Muslim world when it comes to those of us in the West.”
(Actually, Mr. President, there are huge misapprehensions about the West on the part of the Muslim world, and some misapprehensions about the Muslim world by the West.)
Obama leaves Tuesday evening on a trip to Egypt and Saudi Arabia aimed at reaching out to the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims. He is due to make his speech in Cairo on Thursday.
(Muslims respect a position of power and confidence. The apologetic weakness shown by our president puts us in a dangerous position, especially since he is not treating our traditional allies warmly which also weakens our place in the world.)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/02/AR2009060200947_pf.html
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