Should the US be involved in direct negotiations with Iran? - 2008 Election - ProCon.org

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2008 Election

Last updated on: 3/10/2009 6:28:00 AM PST

Should the US be involved in direct negotiations with Iran?

Candidates' positions are categorized as Pro (Yes), Con (No), Not Clearly Pro or Con, or None Found.
Candidates who have changed their positions are listed as Now their most recent position.
Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by party; black & white photos indicate candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria.)

Democratic Party

Republican Party

3rd Parties / Independents

Now Pro

Obama, Barack

McCain, John

Baldwin, Chuck (Cst)

Barr, Bob (Lib)

Inactive Candidates

Additional Resources

Candidate Summary Chart

Not Clearly
Pro or Con

McKinney, Cynthia (Grn)

Nader, Ralph (Ind)

_____________________________________________

Should the US be involved in direct negotiations with Iran?

Pro (Yes)

Con (No)

Baldwin, Chuck (Cst) - None Found

ProCon.org emailed the Baldwin campaign on Oct. 14, 2008 with this question. We had not received a reply or found a position as of Oct. 17, 2008.

Barr, Bob (Lib) - Pro

Bob Barr, former US House Representative (R-GA), in a Sep. 18, 2008 www.independentpoliticalreport.com article titled "Barr Says US Should Talk to Iran," stated:

"While the Bush administration has steadfastly declined to engage in talks with the government of Iran, five former Secretaries of State - Republican and Democrat - recently exhibited a great deal more judgment and understanding of world affairs in calling for actual talks with Tehran...

Talking does not mean sacrificing U.S. interests. Rather, talking is a means to further U.S. interests...

The failure to have serious and ongoing contact between the U.S. and Iranian governments makes any settlement much more difficult. One of the top priorities of a Barr administration would be to undertake a serious and substantive dialogue with Iran."
Sep. 18, 2008 Bob Barr

McCain, John (R) - Now Pro

John McCain, US Senator (R-AZ), stated in the Sep. 26, 2008 presidential debate held at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, MS:

"[Henry Kissinger] said that there could be secretary-level and lower level meetings. I've always encouraged them. The Iranians have met with Ambassador Crocker in Baghdad."
Sep. 26, 2008 John McCain

McCain, John (R) - Not Clearly Pro or Con

[Editor's Note: Prior to John McCain's Sep. 26, 2008 Pro position, he has also expressed a Not Clearly Pro or Con position as indicated in a Dec 9, 2007 interview with Chris Wallace on FOX News Sunday]:

"The most overrated aspect of our dialogue about international relations is direct face-to-face talks. BlackBerries work. Emissaries work. There's many thousands of ways to communicate.

The question is are you going to have direct talks, and does that enhance the prestige of the president of Iran, who has said all these things about us, and has announced his country's continued distinction to the extinction of the state of Israel, or does it reach a successful conclusion?

That's the question you have to ask when you talk about, quote, 'face-to-face talks.'"
Dec. 9, 2007 John McCain

McKinney, Cynthia (Grn) - Pro

Cynthia McKinney, former US House Representative (D-GA), issued the following statement through her Press Secretary, John Judge, in a Nov. 2, 2008 email to ProCon.org:

"Yes."
Nov. 2, 2008 Cynthia McKinney

Nader, Ralph (Ind) - Not Clearly Pro or Con

Ralph Nader, attorney, author, and political activist, stated in an Apr. 7, 2007 Green Party Presidential Candidate Questionnaire:

"Ralph Nader believes the US must stop saber rattling and take up Iran’s serious proposal in 2003 to negotiate all outstanding issues between the US and Iran."
Apr. 7, 2007 Ralph Nader

Obama, Barack (D) - Pro

Barack Obama, US Senator (D-IL), in the Sep. 26, 2008 presidential debate held at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, MS, stated:

"...[W]e are also going to have to, I believe, engage in tough direct diplomacy with Iran and this is a major difference I have with Senator McCain, this notion by not talking to people we are punishing them has not worked. It has not worked in Iran, it has not worked in North Korea. In each instance, our efforts of isolation have actually accelerated their efforts to get nuclear weapons. That will change when I'm president of the United States."
Sep. 26, 2008 Barack Obama

INACTIVE CANDIDATES

(Candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria appear
below in black and white and in alphabetical order by party.)

Democratic Party				Republican Party				3rd Parties / Independents
	Biden, Joe (Withdrew on Jan. 3, 2008)	None Found			Brownback, Sam (Withdrew on Oct. 19, 2007)	None Found			Gravel, Mike (Withdrew on May 27, 2008)	None Found
	Clinton, Hillary (Suspended campaign on June 7, 2008)	None Found			Gilmore, Jim (Withdrew on July 14, 2007)	None Found			Imperato, Daniel (No longer met criteria on Mar. 21, 2008)	None Found
	Dodd, Chris (Withdrew on Jan. 3, 2008)	None Found			Giuliani, Rudy (Withdrew on Jan. 30, 2008)	None Found			Keyes, Alan (No longer met criteria on June 23, 2008)	None Found
	Edwards, John (Withdrew on Jan. 30, 2008)	None Found			Huckabee, Mike (Withdrew on Mar. 4, 2008)	None Found			Kubby, Steve (No longer met criteria on Mar. 21, 2008)	None Found
	Kucinich, Dennis (Withdrew on Jan. 25, 2008)	None Found			Hunter, Duncan (Withdrew on Jan. 19, 2008)	None Found			McEnulty, Frank (No longer met criteria on Mar. 21, 2008)	None Found
	Richardson, Bill (Withdrew on Jan. 10, 2008)	None Found			Paul, Ron (Withdrew on June 12, 2008)	None Found			Smith, Christine (No longer met criteria on Mar. 21, 2008)	None Found
	Vilsack, Tom (Withdrew on, Feb. 23, 2007)	None Found			Romney, Mitt (Withdrew on Feb. 7, 2008)	None Found
					Tancredo, Tom (Withdrew on Dec. 20, 2007)	None Found
					Thompson, Fred (Withdrew on Jan. 22, 2008)	None Found
					Thompson, Tommy (Withdrew on Aug. 12, 2007)	None Found

Pro (Yes)

Con (No)

(D) - None Found

Withdrew on Jan. 3, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Brownback, Sam (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Oct. 19, 2007; no position found as of that date.

Clinton, Hillary (D) - None Found

Suspended campaign on June 7, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Dodd, Chris (D) - None Found

Withdrew on Jan. 3, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Edwards, John (D) - None Found

Withdrew on Jan. 30, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Gilmore, Jim (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Aug. 14, 2007; no position found as of that date.

Giuliani, Rudy (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Jan. 30, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Gravel, Mike (Lib) - None Found

Withdrew on May 27, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Huckabee, Mike (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Mar. 4, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Hunter, Duncan (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Jan. 19, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Imperato, Daniel (Ind) - None Found

No longer met ProCon.org's criteria as of Mar. 21, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Keyes, Alan (Ind) - None Found

No longer met ProCon.org's criteria as of June 23, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Kubby, Steve (Lib) - None Found

No longer met ProCon.org's criteria as of Mar. 21, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Kucinich, Dennis (D) - None Found

Withdrew on Jan. 25, 2008; no position found as of that date.

McEnulty, Frank (Ind) - None Found

No longer met ProCon.org's criteria as of Mar. 21, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Paul, Ron (R) - None Found

Withdrew on June 12, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Richardson, Bill (D) - None Found

Withdrew on Jan. 10, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Romney, Mitt (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Feb. 7, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Smith, Christine (Lib) - None Found

No longer met ProCon.org's criteria as of Mar. 21, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Tancredo, Tom (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Dec. 20, 2007; no position found as of that date.

Thompson, Fred (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Jan. 22, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Thompson, Tommy (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Sep. 12, 2007; no position found as of that date.

Vilsack, Tom (D) - None Found

Withdrew on Feb. 23, 2007; no position found as of that date.

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