It's quite amazing that you take conversation as appeasement. It's called diplomacy -- something that was sadly missing the past 8 years. The U.S. is becoming a respectable nation again.

>Yeah, Nic, the fool is in the driver's seat. Taking a page from your history Obama is tilting towards being a Neville Chamberlain in the mid-1930's while angling towards being a Lord Halifax if a crisis should occur. Also, Biden is doing a pretty good Anthony Eden impression sans the drugs.
>
>>>>I have no problem with Obama talking with anyone. Talk != concessions.
>>>>
>>>>In the eyes of the terrorists, Talk == Weakness
>>>
>>>Hi Hon :-)
>>>
>>>I agree completely.
>>>
>>>I'm going to go out on a limb here with this opinion, clearly not politically correct, that I don't give a rats a** what the rest of the world thinks of us. I mean, seriously, we didn't rise to our level of supremacy by worrying about what the has-beens and might-have-beens of the world think.
>>>
>>>I am a firm subscriber to the theory that fear works. Mess with us, hurt our folks, you will die. Not only will you die, your family will suffer andyour country will be blasted.
>>>
>>>It's a rough world and the historical long view is that it doesn't suffer fools.
>>
>>That last line is the only accurate bit in your statement and luckily for the next few year "the fools" aren't in the driving seat.