Below The Beltway

Brendan Loy puts it exactly the way I would:
President Bush’s comment, by contrast, is not within the realm of rationality. He is claiming that the mere act of sitting down and negotiating with an enemy is tantamount to “appeasement.” That is absolutely absurd. Bush needs to look up a dictionary definition of the damn word […]

Ladies and gentlemen, the General Election campaign has officially started:
WATERTOWN, S.D. — Barack Obama rebuked Republican rival John McCain and President Bush for “dishonest and divisive” attacks in hinting that the Democratic presidential candidate would appease terrorists, staunchly defending his national security credentials for the general election campaign.
Obama responded Friday to Bush’s speech to the […]

John McCain weighs in on today’s controversy:
“The belief that somehow communications and positions and willingness to sit down and have serious negotiations need to be done in a face to face fashion as Senator Obama wants to do, which then enhances the prestige of a nation that’s a sponsor of terrorists and is directly responsible […]

Apparently, some Republicans aren’t ready to give up on diplomacy just yet:
 The United States should construct a combination of incentives and pressure to engage Iran, and may have missed earlier opportunities to begin a useful dialogue with Tehran, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday.
“We need to figure out a way to develop some leverage […]

Suffice it to say that Democrats aren’t happy at all with President Bush’s remarks before the Israeli Knesset.
The Obama campaign was the first to respond:
In a statement, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., shot across the bow: “It is sad that President Bush would use a speech to the Knesset on the 6Oth anniversary of Israel’s independence […]

Usually sitting Presidents who are nearing the end of their final term in office don’t inject themselves too much into the battles between the men, or women, who would succeed them. They’ll campaign for the candidate of their party, of course, and be the guest of honor at $ 5,000 a plate fundraising dinners, but […]

ABC News’s Jake Tapper brings to light some rather aggressive comments from Hillary Clinton about Iran:
Clinton further displayed tough talk in an interview airing on “Good Morning America” Tuesday. ABC News’ Chris Cuomo asked Clinton what she would do if Iran attacked Israel with nuclear weapons.
“I want the Iranians to know that if I’m the […]

There’s been an increase in combative rhetoric from the Bush Administration regarding Iran over the past week or so. First, last week President Bush said that permitting Iran to obtain nuclear weapons would lead to World War III. Now, Vice-President Cheney has said that the United States will not permit Iran to obtain nuclear weapons:
LEESBURG, […]

Tony Blair’s memo to the mullahs:
LONDON (AP) - Prime Minister Tony Blair said Thursday that Britain would not negotiate over British sailors and marines held hostage by Iran. In an interview with ITV News, Blair again called for the unconditional return of the 15 Royal Navy personnel who were seized by […]

The Iranian mullahs are back in the news again, this time thanks to something that could be interpreted as an act of war:
LONDON, March 23 ? Fifteen British sailors carrying out a routine inspection in the Persian Gulf were captured at gunpoint and taken into custody by Iranian forces on Friday morning, the British Ministry […]