U.S. Accuses Iran of 'Hostage Diplomacy'

[sabra]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration welcomed Thursday's homecoming of 15 British sailors and marines released from Iranian captivity and for the first time since the crisis erupted accused Iran of using 'hostage diplomacy' to boost its status.

...

From his ranch in Crawford, Texas, President Bush spoke with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in a lengthy video conference, telling him he was pleased that the 15 had returned home, National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

...

At the State Department, spokesman Sean McCormack went further.

He said the incident was part of an Iranian pattern of taking hostages dating back to the seizure of 52 Americans in 1979 and including a 2004 incident in which Iran captured and held another group of British sailors.

``This is clearly a regime that, after several decades, continues to view hostage-taking as a tool of its international diplomacy,'' McCormack told reporters.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6535939,00.html

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. If The "U.S." means bush , then who the hell cares?

He's pissed because it didn't end up with a bunch of dead guys & cruise missile launches.

[madokie]

2. well its better than bush's* diplomacy at the end of a gun, flyovers and such

[Eugene]

3. As opposed to Gitmo-style diplomacy?

The hypocrisy is stunning. U.S. forces raided a consular office,
grabbed the staff, and is holding them incommunicado while
U.S.-controlled Iraqi forces abducted an Iranian diplomat.

As much as I dislike Iran and what it did, Bush is hardly in any
position to lecture.

[liberalmuse]

4. Man, that is lame!

I guess the Iranian President should have asked himself, 'WWBD'? and then promptly tortured and 'disappeared' all of the hostages. I love it when anyone defies Bush and makes him all pissy, LOL.

[0rganism]

5. doesn't "hostage" imply some sort of ransom or compliance demand?

If there was one, I must have missed it. :shrug:

[tanyev]

6. Oh, really? Some people say that the timing of the release of the hostages in 1980

was suspicious and that Poppy might know something about it. Is Georgie sure he wants to go there?

[Rob H.]

7. Big talk coming from an administration holding OUR soldiers hostage

until der Shrubbenfuhrer gets exactly the Iraq spending bill he wants.

[Orsino]

8. Beat me to it. That's it exactly! n/t

[HuffleClaw]

9. unlike the hundreds of foreign nationals that were kidnapped by the US?

are they 'hostages'? are the iranian diplomats attacked and kidnapped while in their consulate 'hostages'? were the relatives of iraqis 'wanted' by the us military captured to ensure their surrender 'hostages'?

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

10. Ingrate.

:shrug:

*bush could jump into a pile of red roses and come out smelling like horse shit- actually, he does exactly that, time after time after time after....