HARRISBURG – Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Robert A. Gleason, Jr. is not surprised to see that supporters of Barack Obama’s Presidential campaign have been unable to clearly explain Obama’s stance on meeting with hostile leaders, like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, without preconditions, because they know his position is wrong and incredibly foolish.

“Barack Obama has clearly stated that, if elected, he would meet one-on-one unconditionally with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea in the first year of his presidency; and clearly even his closest supporters are having trouble defending that position,” Gleason said.  “The firestorm surrounding Obama’s position continues to mount and his surrogates aren’t having any luck dousing the flames.  Just today, Gov. Bill Richardson, an Obama supporter, joined a long line of Obama surrogates who have tried unsuccessfully to explain Obama’s comments. 

“Meeting with the leaders of these nations without preconditions would be incredibly foolish and a position only a person with Obama’s inexperience would try to defend.  Plain and simple, Obama’s stance is incredibly foolish and leaves his most glaring weakness, his lack of foreign relations experience, vulnerable to criticism.

“Obama and his supporters are either naïve or incredibly arrogant if they think that meeting individually with these leaders will all of a sudden make them stop hating our country and cease their support of terrorist activities, which are aimed at doing harm to our nation and closest allies.  Meeting with these tyrants will only strengthen their power and undermine our allies.” 

 OBAMA SUPPORTERS CONTINUE TO CONFUSE OBAMA'S STANCE ON MEETING HOSTILE LEADERS WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS

Today, Gov. Bill Richardson Said That Obama Only Wants To Talk To Leadership Of These Countries:

Fox News' Steve Doocy: "Governor, doesn't Senator Obama want to talk to Ahmadinejad?" Gov. Richardson: "He [Obama] wants to talk to the Iranian leadership. He wants to talk to North Korea. But he wants diplomatic preparation before doing that with Cuba, look, this embargo hasn't worked. And what Obama is saying that let's talk to the Cuban leadership." (Fox News' "Fox And Friends," 5/21/08)

Former Senator Tom Daschle Misstated Sen. Obama's Position On Meeting With Hostile Leaders:

Daschle: "I Would Not Say That We Would Meet Unconditionally -- Of Course There Are Conditions ..." CNN's John Roberts: "Senator, you thought about running for the nomination in the 2004 election briefly. If you had become president, would you have met with Ahmadinejad and others without precondition in the first year of your presidency?" Daschle: "Well, I think it's important to emphasize again when we talk about precondition, we're just saying everything needs to be on the table. I would not say that we would meet unconditionally -- of course there are conditions that we would involve in preparation in getting ready for the diplomacy, but clearly, John, we've got to start talking. We have to start working through the differences we have, and of course I'd meet with them." Roberts: " But he clearly said, clearly agreed that he would meet without precondition." Daschle: "Well, without precondition simply means we wouldn't put obstacles in the way of discussing the differences between us. that's really what they're saying, what Barack is saying." (CNN's "America Morning," 5/20/08)

Obama Senior Foreign Policy Advisor Susan Rice Denied That Obama Ever Said He Would Meet With Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Obama Senior Foreign Policy Advisor Susan Rice Denied That Senator Obama Said He Would Meet With Ahmadinejad. CNN'S Wolf Blitzer: "How does Senator Obama defend that decision to meet without preconditions with a leader like Ahmadinejad?" Rice: "Well, first of all, he said he'd meet with the appropriate Iranian leaders. He hasn't named who that leader will be. It may, in fact be that by the middle of next of year, Ahmadinejad is long gone." ... Blitzer: "Let's be precise because when they criticize Barack Obama, not only John McCain but others, for suggesting that he would meet without preconditions with Ahmadinejad, who only last week on Israel's 60th anniversary called Israel a 'stinking corpse.' The question that they ask is what is Barack Obama going to talk with him about? Rice: "Well, first of all as I said, it would be the appropriate Iranian leadership at the appropriate time - not necessarily Ahmadinejad." (CNN's "Situation Room," 5/19/08)

Sen. Joe Biden Said Obama Gave "Wrong Answer" On Negotiating Unconditionally With Hostile Foreign Leaders, But Then Falsely Claims Obama Has Changed His Position:

Biden: "[Obama has] learned a hell of a lot. I think he has. What we're talking about here is that he has repeatedly since then said he would not negotiate unconditionally, meaning him sitting down, alone, right off the bat with these leaders. He's talked about his Secretary of State, his Secretary of Defense. Matter of a fact, the statements he use mirrors the statement the rest of us have been talking about. This is a fellow who I think shorthanded an answer that in fact was the wrong answer, in my view, saying I would within my first year, it implied he'd personally sit down with anybody who wanted to sit down with him. That's not what he meant. That's not what he has said since then for the last year or thereabout. And so I think he's fully capable of understanding of what's going." (ABC's "This Week," 5/18/08)

DLC Chairman Harold Ford Conceded That You Cannot Meet Without Some Conditions:

DLC Chairman Harold Ford On NBC's "Meet the Press": "I'll concede you cannot meet with foreign leaders - with terrorists rather - and those that lead rogue nations without some conditions." (NBC's "Meet The Press," 5/18/08)

Former Senator Gary Hart On CNN's "Late Edition" Said Unconditionally Meeting With Leaders Of Rogue Nations "Doesn't Lead To Anything," Went On To Misstate Obama's Stated Position:

CNN's Wolf Blitzer: "But the question he was specifically asked at one of the Presidential debates is, would you personally as President, be willing to sit down with these leaders, whether leaders of North Korea or Venezuela or Cuba or Iran without pre-conditions, in your first year as President, that was the specific question, he said yes. He later expanded. He said that there would be preparations that would have to be done by lower-level officials. But he was saying without pre-conditions, he personally would be willing to do so." Gary Hart: "Well, depends on how you define pre-conditions. I've been in those debates, and everything gets compressed. I don't think Barac k Obama or any other President is going to meet with a head of state without lower-level discussions preceding that. It doesn't lead to anything. What you do is send diplomats and negotiators to explore areas of mutual interest. And if it does seem profitable, then you go to the heads of state. We did this with the Soviets throughout the Cold War. Richard Nixon did it with the Chinese. And the preparations led up to those discussions." (CNN's "Late Edition," 5/18/08) 

BUT OBAMA DID SAY HE WOULD MEET WITH HOSTILE LEADERS WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS

Obama Stated He Would Meet Hostile Foreign Leaders Without Precondition:

At A July 2007 Debate, Obama Announced He Would Personally Meet With Leaders Of Iran, North Korea, Syria And Other Hostile Nations "Without Precondition." QUESTION: "[W]ould you be willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration, in Washington or anywhere else, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea, in order to bridge the gap that divides our countries?"... OBAMA: "I would. And the reason is this, that the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them -- which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration - is ridiculous." (CNN/YouTube Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Charleston, SC, 7/23/07)

Click Here To Watch Obama Say "I Would" Meet Unconditionally With Leaders Of Iran, North Korea, Syria, And Other Nations.

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