What Did Your Smile Get You, Mr President?

Here is the President of the United States having a seemingly jocular moment with a two-bit dictator and avowed enemy of the U.S. like Hugo Chavez, a man President Obama himself in the past has labeled as a demagogue.

I understand his mindset. “What can it hurt to talk?” That question needs to be followed with another. "What's the benefit of talking?" If we are to “engage” with dictators, many of whom overtly harbor us ill-will and even are a very real potential threat to our interests and citizens, there had better be a concrete goal.

Our alliance with Stalin to defeat Hitler, or the Mujaheddin to defeat Soviet Russia, even Saddam to keep in check the mullahs of Iran come to mind. But what is the purpose of coddling a dictator and hood like Chavez if there is no greater threat? Is it to appear to have the moral high ground? Perhaps there is something to this, but does not our working Constitution with its Bill of Rights, our code of laws, our economic and political freedoms, and general force for good in the world (to quote Tony Blair) already give us this upper hand that transcends presidential administrations?

So if Mr. Obama wants to engage with Chavez, fine, but get something real for it. Some concession. Want a phone line put in to Raul Castro? Sure… but after he frees his long-suffering political prisoners. North Korea wants to talk? Sign here and here first, give up nuclear weapons ambitions, or we will have to take military action aimed solely at overthrowing (read terminating) the heads of that awful regime. Meaning you guys. Yes you.

And then there is the greatest threat of them all, Iran. A nation run by a messianic religious zealot bent on developing a nuclear arsenal and who has made it plain he wishes to use it to cause havoc in the west starting with Israel? Well, perhaps we will need to have a discussion with the IDF and get their views. Something must be done. That is obvious to anyone not awash in a sea of naïveté and their own belief that huge crowds in adulation translates into a sea change in world political dogma that goes back to antiquity. Certainly the rest of the world will not help us when Iran goes nuclear. But hey, at least we will be back on many nations’ Christmas lists, so that’s a nice thing isn’t it?