When crazy folk talk, people listen. Especially when that crazy folk is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (via Agence France Presse):
Ahmadinejad says Israel will soon disappear
Jun 2 08:43 AM US/Eastern
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad predicted on Monday that Muslims would uproot “satanic powers” and repeated his controversial belief that Israel will soon disappear, the Mehr news agency reported.
“I must announce that the Zionist regime (Israel), with a 60-year record of genocide, plunder, invasion and betrayal is about to die and will soon be erased from the geographical scene,” he said.
“Today, the time for the fall of the satanic power of the United States has come and the countdown to the annihilation of the emperor of power and wealth has started.”
Since taking the presidency in August 2005, Ahmadinejad has repeatedly provoked international outrage by predicting Israel is doomed to disappear.
“I tell you that with the unity and awareness of all the Islamic countries all the satanic powers will soon be destroyed,” he said to a group of foreign visitors ahead of the 19th anniversary of the death of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
When Senator Barack Obama mentioned that he would talk to America’s enemies without preconditions, it wasn’t the “without preconditions” that bothered me. It was that he didn’t differentiate the crazy folks. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad routinely talks about annihilating Israel and apocalyptic visions of destruction (along with that pesky nuclear thing). You can’t give the “without preconditions” angle to His Craziness Ahmadinejad. He just will take that and make you look stupid and naive while infuriating an ally in Israel. Now Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is a little different. He’s not spouting off annihilation rhetoric. He threw a few “word bombs” at President Bush but he doesn’t represent a big threat. Maybe you can have President Chavez in the Oval Office and break him off a thing or two and get somewhere. But Iran? Methinks that’s like talking to a shark in the water with your wrists slit.
You have to pick and choose your crazy folk carefully. I abhor cowboy diplomacy and want us to use diplomacy more. But not everyone is going to be receptive to diplomacy. And many times, you already know who they are from the jump.
I’m not complex. Don’t have time for all that. And all that complex stuff bad for the stomach. Just color me simple and plain with a twist.