A Special Envoy For Iran?

By Cernig

Infamous neocon Eli Lake, in his post-NYSun position as the Washington Times’ national-security correspondent, has been told by a current administration unofficial official that Obama is considering a senior career diplomat as a dedicated high-level contact with Iran.

A State Department official said the idea of naming a senior Iranian outreach coordinator was broached in the first transition meetings with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Mr. Obama’s choice for secretary of state, and her transition team earlier this month.

“The idea is that the position should build on the existing diplomatic framework,” the official said. He asked not to be named because a nominee has not been announced.

The idea in itself is a good one, but I'm sceptical about Lake's motives for putting it out there. The first two names he mentions as being in contention are Dennis "Dances With Neocons" Ross and Ryan Crocker, who has led the unsubstantiated charge on accusations of Iranian weapons in Iran. Neither of those, nor Spencer Ackerman's suggestion of PNAC signatory and former Taliban sympathizer Zalmay Khalilzad, would be anything other than sheer obstructionism

(If Spencer thinks ZalKhal is a "rather talented diplomat" then, much though I respect him and love his work, he really should ask himself if he's becoming less "punk" and more a part of the groupthink of his establishment sources as he rises in the journalistic ranks.)

Clinton's appointment as Sec. State already has Iranians worried about Obama's good faith. They refer to her as Madame AIPAC. If Obama isn't to shoot himself in the foot on negotiations with Iran - something that would no-doubt please Lake and his neocon pals greatly - he has to pick the right person to talk to them - one who will soothe Iranian fears rather than increase them.

Comments

[Spenc/r Ackerm/n]

Long on invective and short on substance. If you think Khalilzad is just another neocon, you really have never talked to any neocon ever.

[Steve Hynd]

Actually, I don't - and didn't say I did. Touchy.

But I don't see him as particularly the right guy to be talking to Iran either.

[sean]

Khalilzad has already had loads of dealings with Tehran, through the UN, in Iraq and about Afghanistan. If he can be counted on toe the new administration’s foreign policy line, then he should be considered carefully. I mean, he speaks Dari, the Afghan variant of Persian! Find me someone else with the foreign policy chops who can speak Farsi, and I’m all ears.

As far as being punk is concerned: I haven’t thought of that in over a decade, but from best I can remember, worrying about whether you’re punk or not and saying someone else isn't are decidedly not punk.