In which the boy king once again exposes his complete naivete when it comes to foreign policy. There was a time when Russia and China were the biggest roadblocks to pushing Iran into submission; now it appears to be the administration in Washington.
The United States is opposed to enacting a new set of financial sanctions against Iran that are due to be discussed in the G8 summit next week, diplomatic officials in New York reported Friday.
According to officials, sanctions against Iran are expected to top the G8’s agenda. Sources are also predicting a pointed debate between the heads of the industrialized nations over an appropriate response to Iranian authorities’ suppression of reformist demonstrations in Iran led by Mir Hossein Mousavi and other Iranian opposition leaders.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi hinted in a newspaper interview earlier in the week that the G8 is due to decide on new financial sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Berlusconi disclosed that he had spoken with the heads of the G8 nations and has discussed such steps with them.
According to the Italian prime minister, “the general leaning [among G8 leaders] is toward sanctions.”
However, diplomatic sources in New York reported that American officials are working behind the scenes to prevent new sanctions from being imposed against Iran.
Why would President Obama oppose sanctions against an illegitimate government that sponsors terrorism and seeks the nuclear bomb? The administration is telling other members of G-8 that the sanctions could “backfire”, driving Iran away from the negotiating table it has repeatedly stressed it will never join.
In other words, Obama and his allies are still living their fantasy world where a repetitive and unambiguous “no” means “yes”. They’re still testing out their college campus theories that the Mullahs and civilian leadership in Iran have already rejected time and time again. The Islamic Republic has stressed that it won’t negotiate on its nuclear program, yet here’s the Obama Administration thinking that the way to get the country to the table is by rewarding it.
Christ. It’s like we’ve elected a 20-something philosophy student who lives in an alternative universe. France, Germany, Italy, and other major nations that have held discussions with Iran even agree that now is the time for tougher sanctions. But the Boy King at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue doesn’t live in the world of reality; he’s still residing in a textbook of theories.
by Stephan Tawney on Fri, Jul 3, 2009