Syria: We’ll take the original Obama deal
posted at 5:45 pm on January 26, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
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Barack Obama set the expectations during his presidential campaign, and now he gets to deal with the consequences. Syria’s Bashar Assad, one of five leaders Obama declared ready to meet without preconditions, says he’ll be happy to meet with Obama, but only on those terms:
Syrian President Bashar Assad said in remarks broadcast Monday that he wants a dialogue with the United States but there should be no preconditions by the Obama administration.
Assad told Lebanon’s Al-Manar TV that the new American administration sent officials close to it to Damascus, Syria’s capital, to start such a dialogue. He did not name them but said they visited before President Barack Obama took office on Jan. 20.
Syrian-U.S. relations deteriorated sharply during the administration of former President George W. Bush, which accused Syria of allowing foreign fighters to cross its border into Iraq. Syria denied doing so, while saying it was impossible to control its long desert border with Iraq.
Washington also pulled its ambassador out of Syria after the 2005 assassination in Beirut of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Damascus was widely accused of being involved in the killing but has denied the accusation.
Obama tried to retract the statement during the July 2007 YouTube debate on several occasions, at one point declaring that “preparations” would be required, if not “preconditions”. Assad shows no inclination to allowing Obama that out. He won’t end his support for Hamas and Hezbollah, two of the worst terrorist networks in the region and both proxies for Assad’s Iranian bosses. If Obama wants to talk with him, Obama has to accept the relationships with Hamas and Hezbollah.
Will Obama bite? He may not have much choice. First, Syria — unlike Iran — still has diplomatic relations with the US, although strained and below the ambassadorial level. Second, Obama wants to focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and having been schooled by Samantha Power and Robert Malley, won’t see Hamas (or Hezbollah) as the big problem. The big problem, according to Power and Malley, are the yahouds. Expect Obama to seek “change” by tacitly accepting the Iranian-Syrian terrorist axis of Hamas and Hezbollah in order to pursue a peace that none of the four actually want.
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Welcome to the world of Neville Chamberlain.
Starlink on January 26, 2009 at 5:48 PM
Maybe Hillary and Nancy can go over in those headscarves a la Laverne and Shirley.
Chuck Schick on January 26, 2009 at 5:48 PM
Assad should have waited before demanding this, with just a tough stare he could have gotten Ogabe to force Israel to give up the Golan Heights.
Bishop on January 26, 2009 at 5:49 PM
The smarterest president evah!
jukin on January 26, 2009 at 5:51 PM
Every scumbag tyrant wants what Comrade Obama is cooking. God help America.
FreeThinkerNYC on January 26, 2009 at 5:51 PM
Bishop on January 26, 2009 at 5:49 PM
All our enemies know we have a weenie for a President.
God protect America.
kingsjester on January 26, 2009 at 5:51 PM
hasenfeffer incorporated!
Awilson on January 26, 2009 at 5:51 PM
I’m giddy with excitement.
keep the change on January 26, 2009 at 5:52 PM
Wouldn’t that be a hoot…the campaign promise Obama keeps is the one the Syrian president call him on…
Don’t listen to Rush, he is bad news…but the Syrian president? Great guy…
How screwed up is Obama?
right2bright on January 26, 2009 at 5:53 PM
US’ UN ambassador Susan Rice: We will engage in direct diplomacy with Iran
Wethal on January 26, 2009 at 5:53 PM
I hope that Israel’s new PM, Netanyahu, tells Obama to go f**k himself if he wants to kiss Assad and Iran’s ass with that clueless jackass, Mitchell.
Over 2/3 of Americans back Israel – a lot more than will be backing BHO by the next couple of weeks.
TexasJew on January 26, 2009 at 5:53 PM
These four years can’t go by fast enough. I feel guilty for thinking Biden might be better.
chunderroad on January 26, 2009 at 5:53 PM
Barack and Hillary will name another special envoy, this one for Syria.
Hillary is going to go down in history as the least traveling Secretary of State – she is going to add lots of bureaucrat “envoys” to do her traveling for her.
Hillary needs to stay close to Washington in case Biden puts his foot so far in his mouth that Barack needs to name a new VP. She is ready for that 3 a.m. call to duty.
albill on January 26, 2009 at 5:54 PM
That sounds oddly like chickens coming home to roost.
Hog Wild on January 26, 2009 at 5:54 PM
He sowed the wind. What will he reap?
NYCcon on January 26, 2009 at 5:54 PM
Wow. At least Kennedy got chewed out by Nikita Kruschev, premier of a superpower.
Obama is about to get chewed out by… Bashar Assad.
Pathetic.
BKennedy on January 26, 2009 at 5:54 PM
Assad’s so excited he’s going to have a new chin installed for the meeting.
Cicero43 on January 26, 2009 at 5:59 PM
Obama tries to be everything to everyone. He hasn’t even been in a week, and he is being stretched beyond his limits. He is making rookie mistakes (poking Rush Limbaugh in the Eye) and his arrogance was so thick in his bi-partisan meeting it was unbelievable.
Foreign leaders are testing the limits of Obamas naivte. This Jerk obama is pissing the global bed, and America gets to sleep in the wet spot.
portlandon on January 26, 2009 at 6:00 PM
I hope Amy Carter is still available to discuss geopolitical strategy. Obambi’s going to need her.
Cicero43 on January 26, 2009 at 6:04 PM
And this was the same man who said, in a slap against the Bush Administration, as President the US wouldn’t “abandon our ideals for our security.”
Yes you can, Mr. President. And will.
Let’s see if there’s anyone – anywhere – among our press who will challenge him on this.
Look, perhaps we should negotiate unconditionally with there terror-sponsoring regimes. But let’s not kid ourselves about what we’re doing: it’s called cold-hearted, amoral realpolitik.
SteveMG on January 26, 2009 at 6:04 PM
Gonna be an eyes wide open moment for the American Jewish voters who helped put BO over the top.
a capella on January 26, 2009 at 6:07 PM
Damn… you just ruined my youthful hormone laden memories of that show. (poor Boo-Boo kitty).
RalphyBoy on January 26, 2009 at 6:09 PM
Amy isn’t available for nuke policy but Malia and her sister are. We are so blessed. Obama is going to find out that contrary to his beliefs, words DO matter and DO have consequences.
eaglewingz08 on January 26, 2009 at 6:09 PM
I hope somebody tells the Syrians how great He is. The terrorists in India didn’t seem to care:
Ahhhh, it will be good to see how the magical One does with people who have not heard the sacred trumpets of MSNBC and the cool actors and rappers making the Holy One ubercool or the perfect scribes at The New York Times or The Washington Post whose granite etched words serve as Torah and Talmud of the Laws, Rules and Acts of the Most High Lord Jehobama. Surely they must be prostrate before him!
IlikedAUH2O on January 26, 2009 at 6:10 PM
Obama: OMG WTF
Assad: PWNED
MadisonConservative on January 26, 2009 at 6:11 PM
P. S.:
“Mr. President” …”I just wanted to say it again!”
What is that clod cameraman’s name?
IlikedAUH2O on January 26, 2009 at 6:12 PM
I wonder if Obama realizes he’s helping Netanyahu get elected.
Wethal on January 26, 2009 at 6:14 PM
Obama to Hillary “dont forget to pack your kneepads on that trip to syria!”
UNREPENTANT CONSERVATIVE CAPITOLIST on January 26, 2009 at 6:15 PM
Syrians need to watch the BeeGees video jive talking.
tarpon on January 26, 2009 at 6:17 PM
You wouldn’t make fun of him if saw his residual checks from the muppets.
trubble on January 26, 2009 at 6:17 PM
Kumabyah with a dash of schandenfreuden
Defector01 on January 26, 2009 at 6:19 PM
This is ridiculous. Doesn’t Assad know that Obama’s statement has passed its expiration date?
backwoods conservative on January 26, 2009 at 6:20 PM
I still believe you cannot be both for israel and agaisnt it
Im sorry obama is going to have to choose..
and i already know where he leans
jcila on January 26, 2009 at 6:20 PM
That’s a load Ed. Syria and Israel are closer than they ever have been to formal negotiations. Several low level exchanges have taken place. If Syria and Israel are able to work out longstanding issues over the Golan it marginalizes Iran and makes a wider normalization of relations between Israel and its regional neighbors more likely. Israel would benefit from that… militant groups which are being used as levers will not. Hezbollah has little to do with this. Hezbollah has some ideological/religious ties to Iran but they are answerable to their constituents in South Lebanon… not Damascus or Tehran.
lexhamfox on January 26, 2009 at 6:26 PM
Obama still hasn’t learned that words have meaning. Don’t blame Syria at all for taking him at his word. Apparently 69 million Americans took Obama at his word as well.
In the words of Charles Durning, in his memorable governor’s role in “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”:
“Ooh, I love to dance the little sidestep / Now they see me, now they don’t / I’ve come and gone / And ooh, I love to sweep around a wide step / Cut a little swath / And lead the people on!”
coldwarrior on January 26, 2009 at 6:29 PM
You couldn’t open their eyes with a crowbar. And even if you could, it wouldn’t matter. “There are none so blind as those who will not see.”
AZCoyote on January 26, 2009 at 6:39 PM
To claim that Hezbollah has “some” ties with Iran is risible. Some ties?
Without the support from Iran in particular, Hezbollah would be squeezed by the anti-Islamist forces in Lebanon.
To be sure, they have support from the Shi’a in Lebanon. But without Iranian largesse they’d be in big trouble.
SteveMG on January 26, 2009 at 6:40 PM
I read that comment a couple of times…there is more truth to that then meets the eye.
Kennedy had the attention of superpowers, and Obama has earned the attention of what he called “small countries”.
On the surface a funny statement by you…but beneath a sad indictment of Obama real worth.
right2bright on January 26, 2009 at 6:47 PM
I wish I was living in the world of 1984, with a military dictator in charge of the country… like Julius Caesar!
Cr4sh Dummy on January 26, 2009 at 6:47 PM
Now I know what the Mayans “saw” that will happen in 2012…no wonder they disappeared from existence.
ProudPalinFan on January 26, 2009 at 6:49 PM
How soon before the Idiot surrenders to Syria??
notagool on January 26, 2009 at 6:51 PM
Hey, remember again: President Obama stated emphatically in his Inaugural Address that we couldn’t “abandon our ideals for security.”
I guess meeting, unconditionally, with terror-sponsoring governments that shoot their people (and our people) is not “abandoning our ideals for security.”
How this guys continues to get away with this stuff is amazing.
SteveMG on January 26, 2009 at 6:51 PM
I can’t remember because it has been a whirlwind of lunacy, but has Obama made a smart move yet?
sherry on January 26, 2009 at 7:02 PM
No. They started out on their own fighting the occupation of the IDF and the SLA. They exist because they receive organic and enthusiatic support of the people in the region… not just Islamic radicals.
lexhamfox on January 26, 2009 at 7:07 PM
hmmm…
President Obama has sat for his first formal TV interview with the Arabic cable TV network Al-Arabiya, ABC News has learned.
The interview was taped this evening and is set to air at 11 pm ET
kcewa on January 26, 2009 at 7:10 PM
Who brought the popcorn?
JeffinOrlando on January 26, 2009 at 7:11 PM
sure it started on its own, just like al-qaeda started on its own fighting non-muslim occupation of mecca, and exists solely on orgasmic and enthusiastic support of the people in the region
runner on January 26, 2009 at 7:16 PM
Heh Jeff…got the Orville popcorn machine, with a jar full and seasoning…can sprinkle yours with Bacardi Coco. :P
By the way things go right now, I give O a year…it’s just too much!
ProudPalinFan on January 26, 2009 at 7:17 PM
No, they started out as a terror group killing, among others, the Marines in their barracks and French forces.
We’re not discussing the origins of Hezbollah. We’re talking about their current support among the Lebanese people.
Outside of the Shi’a minority (I believe it’s about 40%), they have no support. This is a radical, anti-Jewish terror group that you should be ashamed over defending.
SteveMG on January 26, 2009 at 7:18 PM
Not to mention that he passed on meeting the troops FIRST, theeeennn screw up like he’s been doing. *shaking head*
ProudPalinFan on January 26, 2009 at 7:19 PM
Oh here don’t forget your electric bowling ball
johnnyU on January 26, 2009 at 7:19 PM
Has the State Dept ordered the white flags yet?
GarandFan on January 26, 2009 at 7:26 PM
As Michael Totten, reporting from Lebanon, pointed out (more here):
Again, it’s my view that without Iranian support – mostly guns but some butter – Hezbollah would have almost no support among the Lebanese people.
SteveMG on January 26, 2009 at 7:31 PM
Tell Susan Rice to bring Assad a nice pork cutlet as a “gettin ta know you” gift.
44Magnum on January 26, 2009 at 7:32 PM
Sorry, I do Dale and Thomas. Trying to do my part to stimulate the economy, and my own personal sugar rush, by eating popcorn drowned in chocolate before the excessive sugar tax kicks in.
But thanks for the offer……: )
JeffinOrlando on January 26, 2009 at 7:32 PM
Now I know what the Mayans “saw” that will happen in 2012…no wonder they disappeared from existence.
ProudPalinFan on January 26, 2009 at 6:49 PM
Hehehehehehehehe….they didn’t want to keep building their great civilization only to have it dashed away by Ogabe.
Bishop on January 26, 2009 at 7:42 PM
President Obama has sat for his first formal TV interview with the Arabic cable TV network Al-Arabiya, ABC News has learned.
The interview was taped this evening and is set to air at 11 pm ET
Well well well, isn’t that just great flocking news; President Ogabe telling all our muslim “friends” that he looks forward to many years of America kissing their cracks while they kill our troops and behead our citizens.
More and more I find myself glancing toward the gun safe.
Bishop on January 26, 2009 at 7:47 PM
Bishop on January 26, 2009 at 7:47 PM
Hide the guns.
kcewa on January 26, 2009 at 7:49 PM
Well, the schlemiel part is right too….
ScottG on January 26, 2009 at 9:28 PM
OMG! This is nuts. My friend is from Syria, he is trying to get his wife here. He says it is the scariest place for anyone to be. He is Christian. If he meets with him, will he come here? Or will “O” go there? To crazy. I guess I was reading right then a few months ago. He did say there would have to be conditions. He did say at the debates that it would be no preconditions. He shouldn’t have lied and said that. Now they will hold him to it.
sheebe on January 26, 2009 at 9:59 PM
President Obama has sat for his first formal TV interview with the Arabic cable TV network Al-Arabiya, ABC News has learned.
The interview was taped this evening and is set to air at
This Doctor that I pick deposits up for. Was very shaken when he saw that on Drudge Report. I turned on Savage on the way home and heard it. The gun safe does sound mighty good right now. I am thinking of carrying one. Permit or not. Guess I better reload some bullets too.
sheebe on January 26, 2009 at 10:01 PM
Just carry a gun sheebe, a safe is way too heavy….:)
ScottG on January 26, 2009 at 10:08 PM
I’m sure glad someone is going to hold him to his campaign promises. If it has to be some middle-eastern madman, so be it. His voters and his adoring press sure won’t.
UltimateBob on January 26, 2009 at 10:26 PM
I hear you on that UltimateBob
Yep, the safe is a tad heavy………
sheebe on January 27, 2009 at 12:11 AM
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