Hot Dog Diplomacy in Iran

[Lily]

The Obama administration will go ahead with plans to hold a 4th of July barbeque at its embassy in Tehran with hopes that some of the invited Iranian diplomats will still attend.

Source (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hMtZsaQT4cTxcgA51WrpiUS6cWGg)

I believe this is a right and good step for our State Department. Diplomatic relations must be reestablished in Iran if there is any hope making progress toward the threat of a nuclear state. It will be interesting to see if those Iranians opposed to the Supreme Leader and the Ahmadinijad presidency will actually show up and, if they do, what response will come from the elected government.

[Michael]

The Obama administration will go ahead with plans to hold a 4th of July barbeque at its embassy in Tehran with hopes that some of the invited Iranian diplomats will still attend.

Source (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hMtZsaQT4cTxcgA51WrpiUS6cWGg)

I believe this is a right and good step for our State Department. Diplomatic relations must be reestablished in Iran if there is any hope making progress toward the threat of a nuclear state. It will be interesting to see if those Iranians opposed to the Supreme Leader and the Ahmadinijad presidency will actually show up and, if they do, what response will come from the elected government.
Agreed. Obama is playing this one perfectly so far. The US Government must go out of its way here to pose a stance of 'official neutrality' on the domestic politics of Iran. That means keeping one's 'official' mouth shut and 'business as usual' at the Embassy.

Official US involvement in previous Iranian election rigging is a particularly poignant issue with the Iranians that makes any official US statements on the topic of Iranian elections to be nothing more than pathetic and thus to be avoided.

As they say, if you haven't got something good to say, don't say anything at all. Well, Obama has nothing good to say to the Iranians right now, so it is best to keep the White House mouth firmly closed and if that means serving hot dogs in the US Embassy on the 4th of July, so be it. The USA would look a whole lot more silly trying to do anything else but this. Even cancelling the event would make the US look silly.

[Evangeline]

Beef hot dogs?

[Lily]

One would think.

Someone pointed out to me that we no longer had an embassy in Tehran. Duh. Just wasn't thinking when I summarized the article. If you read it it, the article states invitations to celebrations at "U.S. embassies." My bad.

[Michael]

One would think.

Someone pointed out to me that we no longer had an embassy in Tehran. Duh. Just wasn't thinking when I summarized the article. If you read it it, the article states invitations to celebrations at "U.S. embassies." My bad.
And I feel doubly foolish for not remembering that the USA obviously doesn't have an Embassy in Iran any more! :o

[Americano]

Beef hot dogs?

Pork would be an insult to both Israel's majority Jewish population and Muslim nations. Hmmmmm. Not a bad idea.

[Americano]

Agreed. Obama is playing this one perfectly so far. The US Government must go out of its way here to pose a stance of 'official neutrality' on the domestic politics of Iran. That means keeping one's 'official' mouth shut and 'business as usual' at the Embassy.

Official US involvement in previous Iranian election rigging is a particularly poignant issue with the Iranians that makes any official US statements on the topic of Iranian elections to be nothing more than pathetic and thus to be avoided.

As they say, if you haven't got something good to say, don't say anything at all. Well, Obama has nothing good to say to the Iranians right now, so it is best to keep the White House mouth firmly closed and if that means serving hot dogs in the US Embassy on the 4th of July, so be it. The USA would look a whole lot more silly trying to do anything else but this. Even cancelling the event would make the US look silly.

That stance has changed, he's caved to the conservatives by condemning the 'bloodshed' in Iran:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/us/politics/24webobama.html?hpw

Quite a statement from a country using drone carried missiles to kill people at funerals in Afghanistan and Pakistan to 'spread democracy'.

[Michael]

That stance has changed, he's caved to the conservatives by condemning the 'bloodshed' in Iran:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/us/politics/24webobama.html?hpw

Quite a statement from a country using drone carried missiles to kill people at funerals in Afghanistan and Pakistan to 'spread democracy'.
That's precisely my point. Anything the US says right now will just be interpreted negatively by those outside the USA, based on the US track record.

Like I said, US involvement in previous electoral fraud in Iran makes any US statement on the topic laughably insincere.

[Americano]

US sincerity, unless benefiting US special interests, has long been a joke.