This should really win you some support in the primary battle for the nomination. Unfortunately, at least judging by early polls that were released, that doesn't seem to be the case. If anything, your main opponent, "Bush-lite," seems to be picking up support.
I spoke with some friends of mine and I think I identified the problem. They don't really believe you. One said to me, "Hey, that Kim Jong Il is a brutal thug that has terrorized half his population into starvation. I simply can't believe that Obama would be willing to meet with him in his first year of office without any preconditions" Another said to me, "Oh, come on, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a fanatical anti-Semite who has threatened to annihilate Israel's six million people and is working overtime to acquire the weaponry that would enable him to do so. I'll never believe that Obama would meet with him without preconditions within a year of assuming the presidency." And so on, and so on.
Basically, all my friends thought that you simply blew it during the debate and that instead of admitting your mistake, you decided to go on the offensive to try to use this issue to attack Hillary--but that you have absolutely no intention of putting your willingness into action if you're elected. No matter how much I told them how different you were -- audacity of hope and all that -- they didn't believe me.
Then, I got a brilliant idea, and I knew I had to contact you right away. Here is a simple way in one stroke to make people believe you, and seize the initiative in this campaign like never before. The solution is in the form of a question: Why wait?? If it's worthwhile to meet these five folks in your first year in office without precondition, why not meet them without precondition in your first year of campaigning. That's right, you heard me: why not meet with the Kim, Ahmadinejad, Assad, Castro, and Chavez right now??!!! (Your are a U.S. Senator after all, and a leading candidate for the presidency!) That would send an incredibly powerful signal of your 100% commitment toward a new kind of diplomacy and simply blow the "Cheney-lites" out of the water.
Now, I know what your thinking: Bush and Cheney (the real ones, not the imitators in our party) would never give visas so all these folks could come to the U.S. And, in the midst of a heated campaign calendar, how could you justify the time to travel all over the world for these meetings? Well, I have just the answer: Cuba! That's right, Cuba is just 90 miles past Florida, and Castro, as the most senior member of this select group, has excellent relations with the other four. I can almost guarantee he'd be chomping at the bit to invite the whole group for a day of meetings down in Havana (individually or collectively, however you think is best). Just think, you could fly down in the morning from Illinois, meet with the leaders of North Korea, Iran, Syria, Cuba, and Venezuela all in one day, and be back in Chicago before nightfall. Heck, you'd probably have time to stop over for some campaigning in Miami on the way home.
There is so much that such an event could accomplish. You could lay the groundwork for the real diplomatic breakthroughs that will occur rapidly when you're elected. You could get some great video shots of you and those five to use in your advertisements (let's show everyone what bold diplomacy looks like). And the real differences between you and the "Bush-lites" in our party would be clear for all to see!
What do you think, Senator Obama? Is that an audacious idea or not?
If you decide to implement this idea, there is no need to thank me. Seeing you go through with it would be all the thanks I need.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
A loyal follower
ps. OK, I may have gotten carried away with myself. If it's too much trouble to travel to Cuba, can you at least organize phone calls to all of these leaders during the course of the campaign? You could put the video of you talking to them on BarackObama.com Even that would show us that you are a little bit audacious, and that you mean what you say about a new kind of diplomacy. Thanks for your consideration!
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