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Scared toTalk

So the buzz in the Presidential race lately has been Barack Obama's comment that he would be willing to speak to members of rogue states without preconditions. Of course the McCain camp has characterized this stand as being nieve, saying that if this was such a groundbreaking idea then why hasn't it been successful before?

My question is this: How can talking to someone be bad? What potential downside is there to simply having a discussion with the leaders of another country? Granted, it may not help the situation but I really don't see how it can hurt. If nothing else, I think it would improve the United States' public image to be more engaged with our neighbors from around the world. Perhaps the reason that we as a nation are hated by many other countries is that we fail to show them the respect they deserve. If your neighbor across the street was annoying you I would think that you would ask them to modify their behavior rather than simply engaging in threats of violence from the get go.

Of course, some say that meeting with "evil" empires without establishing some sort of precondition would be seen as weak. Why? Isn't it braver to meet your opposition face to face, to look him or her in the eye and tell them where you stand? A personal communication is far more powerful than speaking through the media, or your ambassador, or (as has been the case of late) not at all.

In fact, I think that the real reason that the current President and the presumptive Republican candidate don't want to talk to these bad men is that they are scared. Could you see Bush speaking to Sadam Hussein? Our fearless leader would have been reduced to tears. McCain, on the other hand, while undoubtedly a brave, courageous, ex-military man, is afraid of his political croonies and what they will think, say, and do if he sat down with the opposition.

Senator Obama may not have the military bearing of McCain or the manipulative, rich boy wiles of Bush Jr., but he is not afraid to sit down with the scary, bad men from the dark place, look them square in the eyes, and tell them what he thinks. I, for one, applaud him.