[Peace-discuss] What Kissinger Said: "I Do Not Believe That We Can Make Conditions"

[C. G. Estabrook]

It shows to what farcical depths the presidential election has sunk that it
seems important to decide which of these nonentities has correctly quoted the
small-minded war criminal Henry Kissinger.

Bob writes, "Do we want ... confrontation with Iran in a McCain-Palin
Administration pursuing the neoconservative policies of the early Bush
Administration, or do we want to seriously pursue negotiations that could lead
to an agreement that would help stabilize the whole Middle East, significantly
facilitating U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and promoting stability in Afghanistan
and Pakistan?"  But that's not the alternative that's on offer.

A more accurate version is, "Do we want ... confrontation with Iran in a
McCain-Palin Administration pursuing the neoconservative policies of the early
Bush Administration, or do we want military action in Pakistan in a Obama-Biden
administration pursuing the Realist polices of the current Bush Administration?"

In fact, the question may be moot, because
     (a) military action against Pakistan -- which Obama calls for more urgently
than McCain -- is already underway, and Obama's intention  is to improve upon
the "baby steps" (as his adviser says) already taken by the Realists in the Bush
administration in this regard; and
     (b) a McCain presidency -- whatever he says on the hustings -- will probably
give way to the consensus of the military and the foreign policy establishment
(remember how both McCain and Obama say that they will be guided by the
"commanders on the ground") that the dangerous source of opposition to US
military hegemony in the Middle East is Pakistan.  They recognize (as the
leading English language journalist in Iraq, Patrick Cockburn, points out) that
the cooperation of Iran is essential for the US pacification of Iraq -- and
for the US attack on Pakistan, for which they have shown  a remarkable
enthusiasm already. (Another exchange of fire between US helicopters and
Pakistani troops seems to have gone largely unreported earlier this week.)

The neocons -- holed up in the OVP and concentrating on avoiding prosecution
(that's what the MCA was about) -- have been largely brushed aside, and Obama
argues for continuity by suggesting that he will retain Gates at DOD.  The
neocons will undoubtedly try to improve their fortunes in a McCain presidency,
but the matter of whom to concentrate on killing, Pakistanis or Iranians, may
have already been decided within the government when McCain (or Obama) is
inaugurated.  --CGE


Robert Naiman wrote:
> Jim Lehrer missed an opportunity last night to help clarify for people 
> watching the debate what is in dispute between Democrats like Barack Obama 
> and Republicans like John McCain about U.S. policy towards Iran. For the 
> record, this is what McCain adviser former U.S. Secretary of State Henry 
> Kissinger said about U.S. policy towards Iran, according to the transcript on
>  CNN's website:
> 
> "I am in favor of negotiating with Iran.... But I do not believe that we can 
> make conditions for the opening of negotiations." ... What [the neocons] fear
>  is not that talks would be useless, but that they might be productive...
> 
> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/what-kissinger-said-i-do_b_129869.html
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/27/11318/6202