President Obama’s press secretary Robert Gibbs tells it like it is. When asked about whether the White House recognizes Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran’s president, Gibbs replied: “He’s the elected leader.”
A little history is in order. When Franklin D. Roosevelt recognized the Soviet Union, it caused a row, but at least there were conditions for recognition. These included, but were not limited to:
- An agreement by Russia not to permit its agents to propagandize against the government of the United States.
- A Russian guarantee of religious freedom for Americans in Russia.
- A Russian guarantee of legal protection for American nationals, establishing their rights to fair trials.
- An assurance that the soviet laws against economic espionage do not prevent the dissemination of general or private information concerning its economic state.
The United States has now recognized the Iranian government with nothing to show for it. Which would also lend itself to a broader understanding of why it is that we have rewarded North Korea for kidnapping two journalists with a visit from a former president, despite Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s warning that the rogue state’s behavior will no longer “be rewarded.”
Former ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton put it succinctly in an editorial board meeting with The Examiner: The ultimate goal of the Obama administration is simply to have negotiations. Nothing else. Which explains why they’re willing to give up everything in the pursuit.
