Submitted by JohnBoy, May 21, 2008 09:00

There are numerous reasons why a president wouldn't want to offer to meet with leaders of rogue nations without preconditions, including the following: (1) a meeting with a US President confers legitimacy and status on a rogue nation leader that the leader may not be getting elsewhere, so we'd better be sure this is the person we want to be dealing with over the long term (2) a meeting schedule gives rogue nations time to plan whatever they're planning, free from interference by the US in the interim, so if we think they're up to bad things (supplying weapons to terrorist fighters, developing nuclear weapons, etc.), a "meetings" environment gives the rogue nation more time to do what it wants; (3) a "meetings" environment ties the hands of the CIA and other agencies and limits their ability to effect behind-the-scenes change and to collect information in rogue regimes while the leaders are in "talking" mode. Are these issues even being considered when politicians are declaring who and how they'll meet with leaders of rogue nations?

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