I watched the debates and admired Barack Obama’s strongly expressed commitment to “engagement” — particularly with leaders of states with whom America was in conflict. This was a great contrast from Hillary Clinton’s positon — and even a starker contrast with McCain’s.
Gallup has just released a poll showing that 2/3 of Americans favor this kind of engagement and that 6 in 10 Americans favor the President meeting Iran’s president. Best I can tell there were no qualifiers, asterisks, special circumstances, and the like outlined in the poll tallies.
Obama has nothing to fear on this issue and should stop trying to back peddle on his earlier positions. Otherwise — I hear a “I was for it before I was against it” line coming down the pike. . .if not by Obama, then by McCain surrogates.
— Steve Clemons
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