I Am For Direct Dialogue With Iran

Iran Twitter Flag (Photo credit: People's Open Graphics)

The US talked to the Soviet Union and it had nuclear weapons. Iran does not have nuclear weapons, it might get them.

I belong in the war as a last resort school of thought. I think, in this case, dialogue is not the step before war. Dialogue will render war unnecessary.

Frankly, I think it is plain stupid not to talk.

Obama: Will 'Make a Push for Dialogue' with Iran on Nuclear Program

In President Barack Obama's Wednesday afternoon press conference, his first in eight months, he addressed the issue of negotiations over the Islamic Republic of Iran's nuclear program. ...... We've imposed the toughest sanctions in history. .... There should be a way in which they can enjoy peaceful nuclear power while still meeting their international obligations and providing clear assurances to the international community that they're not pursuing a nuclear weapon. ...... open up a dialogue between Iran and not just us but the international community .... we're not going to be constrained by diplomatic niceties or protocols.

Related articles

• Obama says to make diplomatic push on Iran nuclear program
• Obama says to make diplomatic push on Iran nuclear program
• Obama vows new push on Iran nuclear crisis
• Obama will seek Iran dialogue in international context
• Obama says to make diplomatic push on Iran nuclear program - Reuters
• Obama Says He'll 'Make A Push' For Dialogue With Iran 'In The Coming Months'
• Obama: 'Still time' to resolve Iran nuke dispute
• Obama: 'Still time' to resolve Iran nuke dispute
• Obama: 'Still time' to resolve Iran nuke dispute
• Obama: 'Still time' to resolve Iran nuke dispute

The Redistricting Menace

In 1996, House Democrats also won the popular vote but remained in the minority (kind of)

Democratic House candidates appear to have won more of the popular vote than their Republican counterparts on Tuesday, despite what looks as though it will be a 33- or 35-seat GOP majority. .... Democrats have won roughly 49 percent of the House vote, compared to 48.2 percent for Republicans. ..... Despite losing the popular vote, Republicans are set to have their second-biggest House majority in 60 years and their third-biggest since the Great Depression. ..... Redistricting drew such a GOP-friendly map that, in a neutral environment, Republicans have an inherent advantage. ..... Republicans were clearly favored in 195 House districts, compared to Democrats being favored in 166. Some of this is because Democratic voters are more concentrated in urban areas, but it’s also because the GOP drew some very favorable redistricting maps in important states like North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania. ..... Republicans were clearly favored in 195 House districts, compared to Democrats being favored in 166. Some of this is because Democratic voters are more concentrated in urban areas, but it’s also because the GOP drew some very favorable redistricting maps in important states like North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

How redistricting leads to a more partisan Congress — in two charts

89 of 435 congressional districts performed between 46 percent and 54 percent for each major political party in recent years. In other words, those were the real swing districts. ...... under the new congressional map created by redistricting — the districts where candidates are currently campaigning for seats in the next Congress — there are just 74 districts that fit that “swing district” bill. ..... 83 percent of congressional districts now clearly favor either Republicans or Democrats..... Redistricting is handled by the state legislatures in the vast majority of states — which leads lawmakers to draw safe districts for incumbents or, at least, draw districts that their party will be able to win. ..... There is an emerging movement to put that power in the hands of nonpartisan redistricting commissions.

Republicans, beaten and angry, disagree on what to do next

For many voters in broad swaths of the country — throughout California and elsewhere along the Pacific Coast, across the Northeast and the mid-Atlantic states — the Republican brand is poison. ...... "If we're going to be anything but a regional, middle-aged white-man party, we have to do the obvious thing, which is, first, accept the reality that America is a diverse nation and we need to start selling to those people," Weaver said. "There is climate change. Accept that. There are gay people in our midst, marrying one another. Get over it.... The government isn't going to deport 15 million [illegal immigrants], and they're not going to deport themselves."

Related articles

• Republicans in disarray over possible changes in direction
• Obama: Time to "seize the moment" on immigration reform
• Zambia Reverses Rwandese Priest's Deportation
• Mo Brooks on GOP calls for immigration reform: Only if future includes 'catch illegal aliens and deport them' program
• Republicans Reconsider Positions on Immigration
• If I Sign Multiple Times, Will They Deport Me Faster?
• State revokes Catholic priest's deportation
• Deportation | eLocal
• Abu Qatada wins appeal against deportation to Jordan
• Smiling Abu Qatada goes free as Deputy PM vows to deport the hate cleric