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Fact Check: Kissinger Defends McCain's Iran Stance
"Senator McCain is right. I would not recommend the next President of the United States engage in talks with Iran at the Presidential level. My views on this issue are entirely compatible with the views of my friend Senator John McCain. We do not agree on everything, but we do agree that any negotiations with Iran must be geared to reality," Kissinger said in statement issued by the McCain campaign.
During the debate, Obama pointed to Kissinger to defend his position because the former secretary of state supports direct talks with high-level Iranians without preconditions. Kissinger does not, however, support the U.S. president personally engaging in those talks, a point which McCain sought to drive home during the debate.
While it appears Kissinger and Senator Barack Obama disagree on what level those talks should occur, they do agree talks should begin, in Kissinger's words, ?at a very high level? and without preconditions.
During the debate, McCain said that Kissinger would not endorse Obama's position that he would meet on a presidential level with leaders of enemy countries. "I guarantee you he would not say that," McCain said of Kissinger.
Obama took issue with McCain's characterization of the former top diplomat's position, but just last week Kissinger said that, while he broadly agrees on the need to negotiate with Iran, he "preferred doing it at the secretary of state level."
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/09/fact-check-kiss.html
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Re: Fact Check: Kissinger Defends McCain's Iran Stance
Looks like they were both right/wrong:
OBAMA: "Sen. McCain mentioned Henry Kissinger, who is one of his advisers, who along with five recent secretaries of state just said we should meet with Iran ? guess what? ? without preconditions."
MCCAIN: "Dr. Kissinger did not say that he would approve face-to-face meetings between the president of the United States and (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad. He did not say that. He said there could be secretary-level and lower-level meetings. I've always encouraged that."
THE FACTS: Obama was right that Kissinger called for meetings without preconditions. McCain was right that Kissinger did not call for such meetings to be between the two presidents.
In a foreign policy forum on Sept. 15, Kissinger said: "I am in favor of negotiating with Iran." He went on to say, "I actually have preferred doing it at the secretary of state level" and the U.S. should go into the talks with "a clear understanding of what is it we're trying to prevent. What is it going to do if we can't achieve what we're talking about? But I do not believe that we can make conditions for the opening of negotiations. We ought, however, to be very clear about the content of negotiations and work it out with other countries and with our own government."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080927/ap_on_el_pr/presidential_debate_factcheck
Obama said McCain adviser Henry Kissinger backs talks with Iran ?without preconditions,? but McCain disputed that. In fact, Kissinger did recently call for ?high level? talks with Iran starting at the secretary of state level and said, ?I do not believe that we can make conditions.? After the debate the McCain campaign issued a statement quoting Kissinger as saying he didn?t favor presidential talks with Iran.
www.factcheck.org
I'm convinced, after this debate, that Obama has no clue what a precondition actually is.?
Shadowbxr-I think it is just Obama that was incorrect...especially based on your post on top of KIssinger's quote:
MCCAIN: "Dr. Kissinger did not say that he would approve face-to-face meetings between the president of the United States and (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad. He did not say that. He said there could be secretary-level and lower-level meetings. I've always encouraged that."
That is what Kissinger said-at the secretary-level.