THE AUDACITY OF EVEN MORE BULLSHIT: OBAMA FLIP FLOPS ON HIS OWN FLIP FLOP -- AND THEN CRITICIZES HIS OWN FLIP FLOPPED FLIP FLOP

This might be a first in U.S. presidential politics. Barak Obama is flip flopping on a flip flop. Last week, we posted about Obama's claim (via his political adviser) that he never stated he would talk unconditionally with Iran on a direct presidential level. What we learned, in summary, was the following (bear with me---writing about a flip flop of a flip flop isn't easy):

May 10, 2008 Barak Obama's political adviser, as quoted in The New York Times stated the following:

Susan E. Rice, a former State Department and National Security Council official who is a foreign policy adviser to the Democratic candidate, said that “for political purposes, Senator Obama’s opponents on the right have distorted and reframed” his views. Mr. McCain and his surrogates have repeatedly stated that Mr. Obama would be willing to meet “unconditionally” with Mr. Ahmadinejad. But Dr. Rice said that this was not the case for Iran or any other so-called “rogue” state. Mr. Obama believes “that engagement at the presidential level, at the appropriate time and with the appropriate preparation, can be used to leverage the change we need,” Dr. Rice said. “But nobody said he would initiate contacts at the presidential level; that requires due preparation and advance work.”

Which in response to Ms. Rice's misstatement, we reminded Ms. Rice, The New York Times and our readers of The New York Times' own previous article about Obama's stance on negotiating with Iran which read, in pertinent part:

Senator Barack Obama said he would “engage in aggressive personal diplomacy” with Iran if elected president, and would offer economic inducements and a possible promise not to seek “regime change” if Iran stopped meddling in Iraq and cooperated on terrorism and nuclear issues…

Making clear that he planned to talk to Iran without preconditions, Mr. Obama emphasized further that “changes in behavior” by Iran could possibly be rewarded with membership in the World Trade Organization, other economic benefits and security guarantees…

Mr. Obama’s willingness to conduct talks at the highest level with Iran … differs significantly from the Bush administration.

We even offered a video documenting Obama's then stance on negotiating with Iran


And to further illustrate Obama's then stance on negotiation without precondition with Iran, we provided the following screenshot taken from Obama's own campaign website:

(Click to enlarge)


His website still says he will negotiate with Iran without preconditions. I imagine that will disappear soon in light of what Obama is now saying.

So what is Obama now saying? Just a week later, and while his website still says he will negotiate with Iran on a presidential level without preconditions? Obama now claims the following is his foreign policy towards Iran:

“It’s time to present Iran with a clear choice,” Mr. Obama said. “If it abandons its nuclear program, support for terror and threats to Israel, then Iran can rejoin the community of nations. If not, Iran will face deeper isolation and steeper sanctions.”

And in a remarkable demonstration of sobriety, The New York Times, of all entities, notes the drastic change in Obama's stance on Iran in just a week:

On Friday, Mr. Obama tried, not for the first time, to deflect and counter the criticisms by articulating his view of foreign relations, one in which military might is accompanied by diplomatic engagement with all countries, including enemies. His most specific example was a significantly changed policy toward Iran, one that would be equal parts carrot and stick.

This "carrot and stick" approach certainly sounds like negotiation with preconditions to me. Even more significant, it sounds exactly like the Bush administration's policy towards Iran for the last 5 plus years. The same foreign policy Obama loudly criticized just Yesterday.

So there you have it. In the span of 9 days, Obama has gone from negotiating without conditions with Iran, to denying he would negotiate without conditions with Iran, to stating he would negotiate with Iran with conditions, to criticizing negotiation with Iran with conditions.

Barak Obama has been running on nothing but a platform of hope and change. I hope he quits changing.
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