Kerry Advises Talking to Other Countries

John Kerry has been talking quite a while about the need to communicate with other countries, even those we aren’t on the best of terms with. The Iraq Study Group’s report came to the same conclusion. Kerry raised this point again during his current Middle East Tour:

U.S. Senator John Kerry, the Democratic candidate for the presidency in 2004, said on Thursday the U.S. administration should talk to Syria and Iran.

Kerry also told reporters in Cairo he believed U.S. policy in the Middle East was in trouble, partly because the United States had failed to listen to people in the region.

He cited Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s advice in 2002 that a U.S. invasion of Iraq would lead to disaster. “Frankly, more people should have listened to him,” he said after talks with Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif.

“It’s very important for countries to talk to each other, even when you disagree. We have serious differences with Syria right now, we have serious differencess with Iran, but you can’t begin to resolve those differences if you’re not willing to try to understand.. I think it’s important to begin a discussion,” said Kerry, a Massachusetts senator.

One reason we are in such a mess in Iraq, and the country has become less secure under George Bush, is Bush’s lack of willingness to communicate with others. Many right wing bloggers (such as here, here, and here) share Bush’s view, as they distort the accounts of Kerry’s statement and advocate burying our heads further in the sands.

Update: Add Condoleeza Rice to the list of those who oppose talking to Syria and Iran. Stay the course. After all, the current plan is just working out so well.

2 Comments

  1. 1
    Probus says:

    The ISG report did a huge favor to dems. They now have the support of this report in saying that talking to Syria and Iran is the mainstream approach, is the right thing to do and is recommended by 5 repubs and 5 dems. Now the administration seems extreme in its views of not engaging these 2 vital countries, despite the recommendations of the ISG. Most Americans think it is a good idea to engage the 2 neighbors of Iraq. Their cooperation will be vital in security the stability of Iraq and indeed the region. This administration clearly doesn’t know what diplomacy is, it is the knowing what your enemy wants to do and talking to them, as Sen. Kerry says if Reagan can talk to the evil empire we can talk to these countries.

  2. 2
    kj says:

    Agree with Probus and Ron. The perception around this misAdministration’s “stay the course” has finally shifted to what many of us have been saying for years, that their course is to take this country (and any other country they choose) right off a cliff, squandering the lives of our troops and our taxpayer’s money in the process. This isn’t a word I use often, but shame, shame, shame on GWB.

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