Remember when Obama wouldn’t pipe up during the Israeli conflict prior to taking office? How he couldn’t be forced to make even a peep about the tough issues while George Bush was still in office? How he kept mum about the specifics of the economy until the last minute? He was such a good sport that he didn’t want to step on any toes when it came to Georgia? Oh wait, he was just holding high level talks with rogue states during the campaign.

US President Barack Obama has already used experts within the last few months to hold high-level but discreet talks with both Iran and Syria, organizers of the meetings told AFP.

…

However, even before winning the November 4 election, Obama unofficially used what experts call “track two” discussions to approach America’s two foes in the region.

Nuclear non-proliferation experts had several “very, very high-level” contacts in the last few months with Iranian leaders, said Jeffrey Boutwell, executive director for the US branch of the Pugwash group, an international organization of scientists which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995.

Former defense secretary William Perry, who served in Obama’s election campaign, participated in some of these meetings focused on “a wide range of issues that separate Iran from the West: not only their nuclear program but the Middle East peace process, Persian Gulf issues,” Boutwell told AFP.

The Pugwash official declined to name the other participants, except to say they had considerable clout.

“We had very, very senior figures from both the Iranian policy establishment and from the US; people who have very close, good access to the top leaders in both countries,” Boutwell said.

Remember that direct talks without precondition were a mild controversy during the campaign. Obama, and by extension the greater left-wing, assured us that they would lead to productive dialogue and rainbow tea parties. Remember that the root of all our troubles in the Middle East stem from America refusing to talk to Muslim nations and Israel refusing to not exist.

So how effective are talks with Iran now that we’re engaged in them?

The proof is ultimately in the result. If this administration will do anything, it will allow us to prove that many of the negative assertions that we hold about the left’s policies are not just straw man arguments. Silver lining while we go down in flames. Obama’s diplomatic offensive has already proved to be a failure. If the Iranians were truly interested in progress or the slightest bit impressed with the chutzpah it took to run shadow-foreign policy before even taking office, they wouldn’t be saying this right out of the gate, would they?

“This request means Western ideology has become passive, that capitalist thought and the system of domination have failed,” Gholam Hossein Elham was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency.

“Negotiation is secondary, the main issue is that there is no way but for (the United States) to change,” he added.

It sounds like they have been talking a lot. Finding out what they have in common. Obama doesn’t seem too confident in the capitalist free market himself given that he’s attempting to systematically demolish it in the name of economic socialism salvation. I can hear it now: we enjoy long walks on the beach, controlled markets… it’s a regular telephone romance, only unlike normal relationships only one partner wants to kill the other. Maybe we’ll all get together after they have another chat till dawn and sing kumbaya. Yeah, and maybe Saddam actually used to get 99% of the vote in Iraq.

Allah at Hot Air examines how this revelation has actually caused stagnation in the Middle East.

Sister Toldjah is just as amused at Obama’s sudden pre-ascension interests.

Apparently I was the only person slightly impressed with the Messiah’s inaugural address. In my defense, I’ve long since stopped looking for any real content in his speeches so imagine my chagrin when pundits around the world began berating our newly crowned lord because he didn’t offer anything more than usual. Call me crazy but as far as paper-mâché speech writing goes, I thought that it was a pretty decently delivered pinata of platitudes. Hope and change. Coming together. Did he intend to follow through on any of it? Of course not. This campaign was never about results, it was about feeling good in the moment.

I actually watched the inauguration in a room full of liberals and while the initial oath received a large round of applause, the speech was met with poor reviews. Many left the room during it and when one die-hard tried to start another round after he wrapped it up, it only fell on deaf ears. I think that a lot of them were confused. I truly can’t know what the Obamaites were expecting from the man, but it definitely wasn’t what they got. The sky didn’t open; the ATMs didn’t start spewing cash. The delivery seemed the same to me as what we saw during the campaign despite what some apologists are terming a purposefully dull performance to help parse expectations. (Yeah, sure.)

I think it was just the first stage of Bush withdrawal.

I don’t want anyone to think that I’ve stopped feasting on the hearts of the innocent or embraced change, but our new President just gave a pretty good speech. Sure, it’s his strong suit, but give credit where credit is due. Also, he thanked George W. Bush for his service, which actually received applause, albeit grudging. Quite an impressive display. I’m glad to see it went off without a hitch. Let’s see where he goes from here.

I don’t know about you but given how hysterical the coverage of our current economic condition has become, I was at a loss for words as to how we could effective counter the nanny-staters in a way that the public could easily rally around. It’s all about the bailout, pull it from the public coffers and put it in my pocket, but thanks to Larry Flint of all people (using the term loosely) we can rest at ease.

“The take here is that everyone and their mother want to be bailed out from the banks to the big three,” said Owen Moogan, spokesman for Larry Flynt. “The porn industry has been hurt by the downturn like everyone else and they are going to ask for the $5 billion. Is it the most serious thing in the world? Is it going to make the lives of Americans better if it happens? It is not for them to determine.”

Francis said in a statement that “the US government should actively support the adult industry’s survival and growth, just as it feels the need to support any other industry cherished by the American people.”

Surely everyone will be able to see now that the term slippery slope isn’t just a logical fallacy. How much more insane do we need to get than a smut bailout before the country understands that cranking up the printing press just isn’t the answer?

We’ll gladly let the auto companies come to Washington DC with their hand out, so long as they’re willing to use their product to get there. It begs the question: what will we require the porn industry to ride to Washington in order to get their federal bailout?

Massive linkages at Michelle Malkin and Hot Air. Good for a yuk.

I hope everyone had a good Christmas despite the much-hyped catastrophe we’re still calling an economy. I came out pretty well, as cold-hearted conservatives often do, managing to steal some rather succulent candy from a baby as well as cashing in on my illicit oil contracts well before the bottom fell out of the market. Speaking of which, when can we expect our personal bailout checks to arrive– is it January 20th or do we have to wait till the 21st? I don’t want to cramp our Messiah’s style when he gets into office, but I’d like my share of “hope” before too long. I’d hate to get behind on the mortgages of my seven homes.

Actually, it might be a good thing. Then he can just pick up the tab on those as well. If we’re no longer kicking people out during the holiday season, who’s to say that it’s any less cruel to kick me to to the curb with St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner?

Here’s hoping your resolution isn’t to stop drinking.

I’m sure that by now you’ve heard the story of those Chicago workers who got laid off without notice, whether you wanted to hear about it or not. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing but sympathy for people who get stung in this economic downturn but how the blame has been placed in this case is astonishingly pathetic and indicative of how we’ve got into this financial mess in the first place.

The majority of the blame has been leveled at Bank of America for refusing to continue providing a line of credit to a failed company. BoA stated that it had been working with the company for months, attempting to address the concerns that were going to cause the business to lose its credit to no avail. A few decades ago we never would have even considered deriding a bank for the financial failings of a company. These days? Scapegoat should’ve been chosen as the word of the year.

It wasn’t the bank that was unable to compete or remain successful in the marketplace. It wasn’t up to the bank to enforce or create labor agreements with workers. Yet somehow Bank of America becomes the villain. “Workers win” the AP trumpets. The workers haven’t won. All they’ve managed to do is squeeze the last bit of blood from a financial turnip, using populism in order to force the bank to extend “loans” that will never be repayed. It isn’t the bank’s job to pay your workers! That this even needs to be reinforced explains so much about this past election cycle and our country’s condition as a whole.

Why, it’s almost as if we believed it was every larger entity’s responsibility to save companies that have proven to be utter failures. Can you imagine something more ass backwards and silly? Oh wait.

On a Sunday morning not unlike this one 67 years ago today, Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor and launched America’s unwanted involvement in World War II. With as much as we all seem to have going on these days, please take a few moments today to reflect on the sacrifices that have been made to protect this country and all of us. From the very first rebels of the colonies to the men and women still serving around the globe today, we’ve shed much precious blood in the name of freedom and American life so that many of us can sit comfortably behind our keyboards, desks, televisions, steroes, etc day in and day out. Be thankful for it.

Since the major news networks aren’t particularly interested in the Pearl Harbor attacks anymore, here are a few links to jumpstart your historical memory. As usual, the History channel seems to be a better way to spend the afternoon than anything else on television.

“A Date Which Will Live in Infamy”: FDR Asks for a Declaration of War

FOXNews.com – Pearl Harbor Survivor Recalls Horrific Attack 67 Years Later

Hot Air doesn’t disappoint either.