Unfortunately any administration official or ex official who has been tied closely to US foreign policy (including the current batch) is probably considered a war criminal somewhere!

In a foreign policy forum on Sept. 15, Kissinger said: “I am in favor of negotiating with Iran.” He went on to say, “I actually have preferred doing it at the secretary of state level” and the U.S. should go into the talks with “a clear understanding of what is it we're trying to prevent. What is it going to do if we can't achieve what we're talking about? But I do not believe that we can make conditions for the opening of negotiations. We ought, however, to be very clear about the content of negotiations and work it out with other countries and with our own government.”

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/fact-checking-the-…

Obama's only misquoting if you insist, as McCain and Kissinger are doing, on mischaraterizing his position as the president meeting first, without preconditions. I'm biased here, but I think Obama was clear that underlings would go first. McCain, to me, came off as a little, “nah nah, I can't hear you!”

So who's right? Kissinger did in fact say a few days earlier at a forum of former secretaries of state that he favors very high-level talks with Iran – without conditions:

Kissinger Sept. 20: Well, I am in favor of negotiating with Iran. And one utility of negotiation is to put before Iran our vision of a Middle East, of a stable Middle East, and our notion on nuclear proliferation at a high enough level so that they have to study it. And, therefore, I actually have preferred doing it at the secretary of state level so that we — we know we're dealing with authentic…

CNN's Frank Sesno: Put at a very high level right out of the box?

Kissinger: Initially, yes.But I do not believe that we can make conditions for the opening of negotiations.

McCain, and now Kissinger, are trying to spin Obama's statement into something it wasn't… stripe out a few sound bites and you can make it sound any way you want but re-read / re-listen to the exchange as a whole. Obama's intent v. McCain's spin is obvious.

But I can't recall the exact comment and I might be dreaming (so take my comment with that in mind). But when Obama said it my reaction was, “Yes, Obama is right on this. I remember reading about it in the paper.”

With the way Obama delivered it and made it into a big point, I think that Obama was telling the truth… Obama knew he would be called on such matters and he is usually careful about such things.

This will be interesting to see it play out….

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Kissinger#Ac…

Absent of context… of course.

Also, I think his VP choice is one of the worst decisions he's made.

Otherwise a draw.

Obama came with facts, figures, records and a clear bulleted list of policies, ideologies and priorities.

Everyone is calling this a draw, but as an undecided voter, my confidence in Obama as an able leader was greatly increased by his mastery of the current situation of the global economy and foreign policy challenges and my confidence in McCain decreased dramatically because he came off as a condescending warmonger who will not improve, change or revise the divisive and detrimental foreign policy of the past 8 years.

More of my conclusions here…