James Baker: "Talking to an enemy is not, in my view, appeasement."

[sabra]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/19/21814/4492/61/518627

<snip>

Below is a partial transcript of the October 2006 Fox News interview. The entire transcript can be seen at http://www.foxnews.com/... :


COLMES: A level of engagement which some have said is not present today. Is this administration engaged enough with the people they should be talking to, to solve the kind of problems you're talking about?


BAKER: My view is that you don't just talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies, as well. And the diplomacy involves talking to your enemies.


You don't reward your enemies...


COLMES: Right.


BAKER: ... necessarily, by talking to them if you're tough and you know what you're doing. You don't appease them. Talking to an enemy is not, in my view, appeasement.


I made 15 trips to Syria in 1990-1991 at a time when Syria was on the list of countries who are state sponsors of terrorism. And the 16th trip, guess what? Lo and behold, Syria changed 25 years of policy and agreed for the first time in history to come sit at the table with Israel, which is what Israel wanted at the time. And, thereby, implicitly recognized Israel's right to exist.


Now, all I'm saying is that would never have happened if we hadn't been sufficiently dedicated that we were going to keep at it. And that's the only...


COLMES: You deserve a lot of credit for that, and I think the Bush 41 administration does. Is this administration as dedicated to that level of dialogue worldwide, to enable those kinds of relationships.

[ColbertWatcher]

1. I commend you on your nice find and for looking at a Fox site. n/t

[gratuitous]

2. Certainly we'd never recover any prisoners of war

If we didn't talk to our enemies, prisoners of war might just as well be dead. Or is it off limits to say such a thing because it makes John McCain and his mouthpieces look like so many prize fools?

[ColbertWatcher]

5. I think they look like fools all on their own...

""That was Barack Obama. He just tripped off a chair. He's getting ready to speak and somebody aimed a gun at him and he -- he dove for the floor."--Mike "McCain's Best Pick for V.P." Huckabee

[Virginia Dare]

3. No, Jim Baker never had any problem dealing with the sleaziest..

of the sleazes. As long as there was something in it for him and his patron.

[LSK]

4. I believe Baker is in the "dont attack Iran you idiots!!!!" camp