Tapper gets an interview:
TAPPER: In recent days it has seemed that some of your staffers and supporters have walked back from your statement that you would be willing to meet with the leaders of rogue nations, countries hostile to the US, without preconditions. Your foreign policy adviser Susan Rice said you wouldn't necessarily meet with Ahmadinijad, Senator Daschle said of course there would be conditions -- (Obama interrupts)
OBAMA: You know Jake, I have to say I completely disagree that people have been walking back from anything. They may be correcting the characterizations or distortions of John McCain or others of what I said. What I said was I would meet with our adversaries including Iran, including Venezuela, including Cuba, including North Korea, without preconditions but that does not mean without preparation….there's a huge difference.
First of all, I'm not clear on what the difference is between preconditions and preparations. I'm just a knuckle-dragging warmonger, and perhaps I don't perfectly understand the distinction, so someone will have to spell it out for me. Preparations sounds like scheduling, catering, and protocol, i.e. there is a huge difference, because preparations are meaningless. Unless, of course, the preparations consist of making sure A'jad doesn't blurt out something about wiping Israel off the map in the middle of the summit--but that sounds suspiciously like a precondition to me.
Second, Susan Rice has clearly been walking back Obama's statements. Credit to Obama for standing firm, but he's making a liar out of Rice. It's unseemly to have somebody out there muddying the waters on such a crucial issue. He should put her on a tighter leash instead of accusing McCain of distortion. After all, there is nothing here to distort--Obama wants to meet with Ahmadinejad face to face and without preconditions, McCain does not. Let's have that debate. Both sides are taking a stand on principle, and the outcome could not be more important to this country's national security.
