US plans to station diplomats in Iran for first time since 1979

The Guardian (UK) (excerpt) ^ | June 17, 2008 | Ewen MacAskill

[HAL9000]

The US plans to establish a diplomatic presence in Tehran for the first time in 30 years as part of a remarkable turnaround in policy by President George Bush.

The Guardian has learned that an announcement will be made in the next month to establish a US interests section - a halfway house to setting up a full embassy. The move will see US diplomats stationed in the country.

~ snip ~

[johnthebaptistmoore]

Is this move really such a good idea and really necessary?

[Dominnae]

What are they THINKING?

Never forget 444 DAYS!

Now we’re going to send Americans into the belly of the beast and hope that some Cahtah-esque dimwit doesn’t have to fumble with their lives again. With all the contempt and vile spew from their President & other mental giants in charge, what in the world makes anyone believe that these people won’t be (easy) prime targets?

[Hexenhammer]

who do you gotta piss off to get that assignment?

[clee1]

Useless....unwise.

[snarks_when_bored]

Good plan: send new hostage-candidates to Iran in the days leading up to the bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites. Smart move.

[TheWasteLand]

Will these “diplomats” be large fellows with buzz cuts?

[Islander7]

Good plan: send new hostage-candidates to Iran in the days leading up to the bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites. Smart move.

Hey, there's a whole bunch of Obama supporters who would love to talk with Imanutjob and his minions. Send them.

[Straight Vermonter]

Let me be the first on this thread to call BS.

[Enchante]

Unreal. This is a horrendous obscenity if this rumor proves true. We are handing over diplomatic HOSTAGES to the Mad Mullahs and ensuring that no US President will dare to take military action against that regime.

We should bomb the Mullahs and the IRG out of existence and then we can talk about re-establishing diplomatic relations, AFTER regime change.

[ASA Vet]

We should bomb the Mullahs and the IRG out of existence and then we can talk about re-establishing diplomatic relations, AFTER obtaining the victory which should have been pursued in 1979.

To bad we didn't have a president back then.

[Ulysse]

Wishfull thinking hoax from “the Guardian” which warmly support ouBASSAMA with his CARTER’s like stupid and lunatic policy of appeasement...

All this mess is the direct consequences of the CARTER’s genious and kind fantasies on IRAN AND ISLAMIC THEOCRACY when he betrayed the SHAH with the aplause of the left who hated the pro-american iranian government of the SHAH PALAVIH....

McCAIN should nail it again and again and stick oBASSAMA in the dark past of failed and dangerous ideologies

[Allegra]

Say what????

[Allegra]

Let me be the first on this thread to call BS.

I honestly throught it was satire and immediately checked the source.

This has got to be BS. There is no fathomable reason for State to do something as stupid as this.

[southland]

This is gross stupidity. Send Carter to finish his “brilliant” policy. Now they can humiliate us again...

[SolidWood]

I call BS, as well. The State Dep had a hard time sending Diplomats to Baghdad (ya know those pansies complained about the risks)... now they send ‘em to Tehran? No chance. On the other hand I wouldn’t mind sending some of those foggy bottom twats to the enemy.

[atomic conspiracy]

Not even Foggy Bottom is that stupid, especially when it comes to their own personnel.

This may be disinformation fed to Al Guardian as part of the lead-up to a US or Israeli attack on the Iranian nuclear facilities.

[Diogenesis]

Would it not be a win to transfer all the traitors in
the State Dept (who hate America, or plan their pensions
with Saudi Arabia, or recognize a country other than
America as ‘their country’) first, and then bomb?

[mkjessup]

Sorry folks, it's not BS. Assistant Secretary of State Mr. Burns ("EXCELLENT!") is in fact meeting with some Iranian joker 'Jalili' to discuss Iran's nuclear program and Condi The Piano Player has been yakking up the idea of opening up a U.S. "interests" section in Tehran for quite a while now.

This should come as no surprise to those who have been following the Bush Appeasement Program which got underway in North Korea with the figurative fellating of Comrade Chia Pet by State's waxing and quixotic Christopher Hill who never saw an arms "agreement" with Pyongyang that he didn't like. In North Korea, the former Far Eastern leg of the 'Axis of Evil' is now America's 'New Partner for Peace'.

So this not-so-sudden pandering to the Iranians should not surprise anybody, with only 6 months and a few days to go before our illustrious President rides out of town back to Crawford Texas, his Administration is going for the Legacy, and that means America is going to bend over and politely ask Ahmadinejad if he would please use lube before insertion. Get your tickets folks:

[mkjessup]

This may be disinformation fed to Al Guardian as part of the lead-up to a US or Israeli attack on the Iranian nuclear facilities.

I dearly pray you are correct.

Pardon me if I lack your optimism, based on the recent sell out of the North Korean people by this Administration.

[arthurus]

Why are we sending official Human Shields to Iran?

[Allegra]

Would it not be a win to transfer all the traitors in the State Dept (who hate America, or plan their pensions with Saudi Arabia, or recognize a country other than America as ‘their country’) first, and then bomb?

I think it's a great idea. I just don't think even State is that stupid. (And I think State is pretty stupid.)

[Non-Sequitur]

I’ll bet they get more volunteers for this posting than they did for Afganistan or Iran.

[Non-Sequitur]

There is no fathomable reason for State to do something as stupid as this.

There is one very good reason. Bush is in full-blown legacy building mode.

[LouD]

Not exactly diplomats, more like forward observers.

“It’s a laser pointer. Yeah, that’s the ticket. To, uh, illustrate my diplomatic talks.”

[Dr.Zoidberg]

If true, this is madness.

And we aren’t in Sparta.

I guess there’s a lot of diplomats who’ve been marked for death and their bosses don’t want the actual blood on their own hands.

[MrBambaLaMamba]

Step 1 - Diplomats to Iran
Step 2 - Obama, the Dark Overlord, reigns supreme
Step 3 - Diplomats taken hostage
Step 4 - The Dark Overlord talks
Step 5 - The Dark Overlord talks some more
Step 6 - The Dark Overlord sweats it and talks some more
Step 7 - The Dark Overlord is toppled
Step 8 - The hostages are freed after 1500 days in Iranian captivity

You need a Carter to get a Reagan ....vomit

[kinghorse]

I don't why this comes to mind but I'm going with it. Sleep my pretty, sleep.

[Straight Vermonter]

I actually could see some guys at State coming up with this but I would expect the President to put the kibosh on the idea.

[SlowBoat407]

Still thinking of a Hillary candidacy?

[Allegra]

There is one very good reason. Bush is in full-blown legacy building mode.

I just don't see that as a "good" reason. ;-)

[WilliamofCarmichael]

As I recall there were two attacks on the U.S. Embassy in 1979. The first one soon after the Shah left and the one most remembered several months later. Neither was instigated by the revolution's leaders.

The first attack was stopped by the Iranian revolution leaders. The second attack was fomented by some students who wanted attention for Iran's complaints against the U.S. and then walk away That time the Iranian revolution leaders decided to take charge and the rest is history. Months of work attempted to tie the CIA to everything imaginable.

IMO some Iranians will have absolutely no problem doing it again -- maybe with even more horrendous results.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

The only way this makes sense is if the Bush administration has the goods on Russia and France, and has convinced them to withdraw their support for Iran’s nuclear processing plants.

[reagan_fanatic]

I hope this turns out to be untrue - they will simply be seized as hostages should the U.S. or Israel initiate any military action against Iran.

Have we learned nothing from the past?

[AmericanInTokyo]

I volunteer CHRISTOPHER HILL to go as Charge d' Affairs.

[AmericanInTokyo]

I call it as not-BS.

The template is already being worked on in Pyongyang. Why not Teheran? They stationed State personnel there, temporarily, for the first time ever (since North Korea came into existence)--all to work out the phony nuke deals and sellout of Japan and the region.

This is all part of the final days of "legacy" of the Bush Administration. They are caving everywhere. All the good people are now gone from the early days of Bush 1. Only ones left are career State and abject appeasers, with lonely Dick Cheney there trying to hold the fort against these nitwits.

Wake up and smell the reality in D.C. these days. IT IS GOING TO GET WORSE IN THE NEXT FIVE MONTHS.

But maybe Bush will get his Nobel Peace Prize. Whatever.

[AmericanInTokyo]

You are the ONLY one on this thread who reads betweens the lines, and knows what the HELL is going on overseas with Bush Administration Chapter II and the Appeasers. From Pyongyang to Beirut to Gaza to Teheran to Caracas, it is going to get WORSE.

[AmericanInTokyo]

We...have....learned....nothing. That is EXACTLY what they will do.

[TheBattman]

What a wonderful idea - provide some more hostages for those Islamists. Sounds like a plan even Jimmy Carter would love!

[mkjessup]

You are the ONLY one on this thread who reads betweens the lines, and knows what the HELL is going on overseas with Bush Administration Chapter II and the Appeasers. From Pyongyang to Beirut to Gaza to Teheran to Caracas, it is going to get WORSE.

I take no pleasure in that my FRiend.

And it looks like somebody didn't like my Dubya Choo Choo 'Last Train to Legacyville', lol

[woollyone]

Send Jimmuh Cahtuh for his 400 day vacation

[tobyhill]

Every President plays this game in the last days in office knowing nothing will actually be set up till they’re long out of office or nothing will actually occur at all. There is no way Iran will allow the US on their soil in position to spy on their nuke program.

[Texas Federalist]

Bush - like Gerald Ford, only more liberal and less coherent.

[null and void]

Is this move really such a good idea and really necessary?

Maybe, and maybe yes.

I think Iran now has The Bomb. In this case diplomatic relations provides the only slim (and IMHO, futile) hope of preventing their use.

Alternate explanation: Bush recognizes that Osama Obama will win the next election, and he's setting him up for a long hostage crisis.

Goal?

In the minds of the voters

Democrats=Hostages (Carter, Obama).
Republicans=Freedom (Reagan, ???)

[null and void]

Let me be the first on this thread to call BS.

Done!

(Exactly what do you think is too stupid for the US government to do?)

[null and void]

There is no fathomable reason for State to do something as stupid as this.

For State stupid is SOP.

[Convert from ECUSA]

Sad. Very sad. I had high hopes back in January 2001. Seems like aeons ago. What the heck happened? (rhetorical question)

[matthew fuller]

"To bad we didn't have a president back then. "

Too bad we don't have one now, either.

[mkjessup]

Sad. Very sad. I had high hopes back in January 2001. Seems like aeons ago. What the heck happened? (rhetorical question)

Quite frankly, this is what happens when a presidential candidate with limited or no experience in foreign policy is elected. We saw the same pooch getting screwed when Jimmy Phuckwit Carter was in the White House, his prior job was one term as Governor of Georgia, ONE term!

Then of course there was Bill Clinton. While Clinton held the governorship of Arkansas for more than 10 years total, his foreign policy experience was based mostly on smoking dope at Oxford, "loathing the military" as he put it, and joining up with the typical bearded America-haters that seemed to be every-dam-where back then. Clinton's Administration has been described as a 'vacation from history' and that is exactly what it was. Clinton treated the issue of terrorism as a law enforcement issue, which is why our refusal to respond properly to the first WTC bombing in '93 emboldened al Qaeda to try, try again. Ditto for Somalia.

The fact is, George W. Bush was only marginally prepared to deal with the foreign policy demands that quickly caught up to him after being elected. He did indeed rise to the occasion post 9/11, but with the collapse of what was once a muscular "don't mess with us, we're comin' after you" foreign policy, we can now clearly see that the second term of George W. Bush was pretty much doomed from the beginning.

Obama-lama-ding-dong comes to this election cycle with the least amount of experience of any candidate in the 20th century. His foreign policy expertise is nothing but wishful thinking and egghead pontificating, God help us if he should somehow make it to the Oval Office.

[hershey]

Is this before or after we/Israel obliterate their nuclear sites? Either way, it doesn’t seem like the welcome wagon would come calling anytime soon.