I suppose it is now a habit of mine to investigate how the GOP markets Obama’s position on Iran via internet ads. (See here, from my personal blog.) And while I was browsing Haaretz‘s site yesterday, I found this dandy of an ad, paid for by the Republican Jewish Coalition.
Several things stand out at me. First, their appeal to Clinton voters. I guess I’m not an authoritative voice on Hillary backers having now been an Obama supporter for well over a year, but I’m not really sure that there are many Clintonites reading Haaretz who will be swayed by this.
Second, the content of the ad is not entirely true (surprise). Obama, of course, never promised to directly negotiate with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He said he would be willing to meet with the appropriate leaders of any country in the world.
Lastly, and most important of all, was the news article in which this ad appeared. I found it here, the article entitled “Report: Bush to declare renewal of ties with Iran.” Yes, you read correctly. After the election, Bush plans to announce the restoration of diplomatic ties to the Iranian government. There won’t be an American embassy in Tehran, but it would mean the first permanent diplomatic presence since the hostages. Should we be all that suprised by this? Bush, after all, has been signaling a softer stance on Iran the past few months. Remember that In July, he sent William Burns to Geneva to meet with Iranian leaders on nukes.
The key part of this affair is that it will occur after the election. Bush does not want to embarrass poor John McCain, the lone holdout on what is now a rapidly-cementing consensus of engagement with the Iranians.
–Dan Rozenson
