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Punaise #109, we went to Vandenberg last night, to the (scrubbed at T-:48!)CloudSat/Calipso launch, joking all the way that we knew Shrub wouldn’t be there becausse was wayyyyy past his bedtime. The 3:02 am launch has been reset to tonight. Sigh. Another 6 hours in the car. It is good fun, though. Welcome back. I’m too groggy to make a good pun.

Zenji says:
Shooter: You are either being disingenuous or you are just obtuse.
Reid is complaining that we are not DIRECTLY involved with diplomacy with Iran. He is NOT complaining that the diplomacy is multi-lateral. He is complaining that WE PERSONALLY are not one of the sides in the diplomacy. You argue that we used to love multi-lateral diplomacy and now abhor it: this is a simple misreading, and i don’t know if you are doing it intentionally or accidentally. Either way it is aggravating

I see, so going the diplomatic route with the UN Security Council isn’t good enough for old Harry? He doesn’t think they are competent enough? Sorry Zenji, while I can understand the source of your pique, we are doing things the old fashioned way by setting up a united front and not hip checking the rest of the world out of the way.
This actually goes to one of the conservative frustrations with liberals. Here we are doing the diplomatic thing, but people aren’t happy because it isn’t being done a particular way.
No matter what conservatives do, it will never be satisfactory. So why bother worrying about what Harry has to say? There’s no way to win.

Professor Foland says:
In the corporate world, if you send someone out to a negotiation who does not have the authority to make a deal stick, it shows you are not serious about making a deal.

Which is a negotiating tactic, yes?

Similarly, only the United States can make a deal stick that involves any security guarantees vis-a-vis American policy. We can’t send France and Germany to do that. It’s not that France and Germany shouldn’t be there–they should, along with others, be part of a multilateral solution.

This isn’t a complicated issue and the US doesn’t need to hold the rest of the world’s hand. The only thing on the table is Iran’s nuclear capability. They aren’t going to tell Germany they will, then turn around and tell the UK they won’t.

Harry Reid is just pointing out when the United States deliberately excludes itself from the search for a multilateral solution, it demonstrates a lack of seriousness in making a deal.

Deal? What deal? There is no deal, either Iran desists, or not. If not, we have a different issue. I’m guessing that part of the strategy here is to avoid a situation siilar to the NK treaty ten years ago, where we gave lots of money, oil, and a couple of light reactors if they would stop what they were doing. They of course, took the goodies and went underground with their program.
Keeping us out of the negotiations will keep the issues crisp and clean without haggling over actions the Iranians have no intention of honoring.

Bent42 says:
Shooter242 #50
You have totally misread/mischaracterized what is being said here (standard practice for you guys). Note there is no suggestion from Reid that no diplomacy should be used – he is stating that the US of A should join in the efforts at diplomacy. So, which part of “We should be involved†did you not understand?
“We should be involved at trying to arrive at a diplomatic solution. … Not just these three countries.â€

Reid apparently doesn’t understand that we are involved already.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1861329

Does Reid consider that those three countries are insufficient to negotiate with Iran? After all they are potential targets as well. You have to admit he sounds patronizing and paternalistic in regard to those countries efforts.
Is Reid disregarding the talks in Moscow as non-diplomacy? We are attempting to forge an alliance and common strategy with the Security council nations. That sure sounds like diplomacy to me.
Apparently Reid thinks that if his version of diplomacy isn’t practiced, it isn’t happening at all. I’m thinking he’s not the only one.

In the end though it’s just another opportunity to say something negative about Bush even though we are attempting to work through the UN on a multilateral basis. Some people just can’t be pleased.