An exercise in posture

WASHINGTON - May 31 - Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH), Ranking Member of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations, issued the following statement today on Iran:

“The US must not participate in phony diplomacy and diplomatic head fakes in order to force our nation, and the world, into war with Iran.

“Iran has reached out to the United States seeking negotiations to end the current stand-off peacefully. The United States should enter into direct, high-level, negotiations with Iran to peacefully end this stand off. This is exactly what over 70 Members of Congress stated last week when they signed onto a letter, I authored, to President Bush.

“Setting conditions on such talks appears to be an effort to ensure their failure and will only put this nation on the fast track to another unnecessary war.

“The US and the world community would be well served to listen to the words of the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Mohamed El Baradei who stated yesterday that Iran is not an immediate nuclear threat.

“This Administration, once again assisted by a gullible media, seems determined to repeat the very mistakes that led this nation into, and keeps us in, the ill-advised war in Iraq.

“A peaceful solution to the stand-off with Iran must be the top domestic priority of our nation. The US must begin direct negotiations with Iran, at the highest level, and without predetermined conditions set to ensure failure.

“War with Iran can, and must be, avoided.”

Meanwhile, Kindasleezy sez: "As soon as Iran fully and verifiably suspends its enrichment and reprocessing activities, the United States will come to the table with our EU-3 colleagues [Britain, France and Germany] and meet with Iran's representatives."

Joseph Cirincione, an expert on nuclear diplomacy at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said: "There's no question this is a major policy shift, but we don't yet know this is going to lead a diplomatic breakthrough. There are people in both capitals that don't want these negotiations to happen." Really just about everybody, in both cities, except for Dennis Kucinich's and his 70 colleagues in Congress.

Meanwhile, the Iranian mouthpiece, just as delusional as Saddam's mouthpieces when they think they can stand up to Darth Rumsfeld's shock and awe machine, and quite as delusional as the neo theocons who think that shock and awe can really pacify a nation, sez: "It's evident that the Islamic Republic of Iran only accepts proposals and conditions that meet the interests of the nation and the country. Halting enrichment definitely doesn't meet such interests... Given the insistence by Iranian authorities on continuing uranium enrichment, Rice's comments can be considered a propaganda move."

Only if you believe her; otherwise its just words from a cold beotch who likes to hear herself talk.

Cirincione seems to be one of the good guys out there in Washington, too. So make that at least 72 in DC looking to keep Kindasleezy from doing her leather thing in Tehran.