In light of Iran’s missile test this morning, Barack Obama referred to Tehran as a “grave threat,” while also arguing that the U.S. should pursue sanctions and diplomacy instead of “over the top rhetoric.” On CBS’s Early Show, Obama added, “We’ve been combining bellicose rhetoric with not very effective action. And that’s one of the things I’d like to change when I’m president.”
I recently finished reading Matt Yglesias’ “Heads in the Sand,” so it’s possible that I’ve been subtly indoctrinated into some liberal internationalist cult, but I kind of looked at this morning’s developments as obvious evidence that the administration’s policies aren’t working. Iran isn’t getting less hostile, or less dangerous, or less belligerent. The Bush administration won’t engage Iran, preferring saber rattling, and we’re watching the results.
John McCain, perhaps not surprisingly, sees things differently. We’ve been negotiating with Iran, he said, and it’s not working. I look at the missile tests and think, “Well, we should probably start engaging Iran directly.” McCain looks at the same missile tests and apparently thinks, “Well, we should probably stop engaging Iran directly.”
“We have lines of communication with the Iranians and there are many…their behavior has obviously not changed,” McCain said, adding, “The time has now come for effective sanctions on Iran…. Lines of communication are fine; action is what’s necessary.”
As Yglesias put it, “…I’m shocked at how hawks are able to spin the continuing failure of their approach to the region as evidence of their own correctness. But the evidence is clear that the Bush administration’s approach is leading to a downward spiral of hostilities and that nothing good is going to come from John McCain continuing that approach. The alternative is to try good-faith negotiations. It might not work, but it really might, and that would be much better than continuing this cycle.”
For what it’s worth, the White House offered a “sharp response” to the developments.
Gordon D. Johndroe, the deputy White House press secretary, said in a statement at the Group of 8 meeting in Japan that Iran’s development of ballistic missiles was a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
“The Iranian regime only furthers the isolation of the Iranian people from the international community when it engages in this sort of activity,” Mr. Johndroe said.
He urged Iran to “refrain from further missile tests if they truly seek to gain the trust of the world. The Iranians should stop the development of ballistic missiles which could be used as a delivery vehicle for a potential nuclear weapon immediately.”
And McCain, by the way, continued to call for “effective missile defense now and in future.” Of course he did.