Comments on: Very Intriguing… Is Ross in Trouble?

By: Jon Harrison

Jon Harrison — Sun, 17 May 2009 13:06:27 +0000

Very interesting post with intelligent speculation. Thank you. I share the thoughts expressed by syvanen. I tend to think this business will turn out badly, because there are powerful people who want no U.S.-Iranian dialogue to succeed. But perhaps Obama can pull it off.

The release of the American-Iranian lady journalist was a significant straw in the wind, in my view. Important forces in Iran want to reach out to the U.S. The nub is whether “freeze for freeze” is achievable, and can be built upon.

Is Ross on the way out, or at least losing influence? Let’s hope so! If so, then one wonders why he was appointed in the first place. Something Machiavellian behind the whole business?

By: rfjk

rfjk — Sun, 17 May 2009 00:52:12 +0000

“Pour decourager les autres!”

Than Ross has failed spectacularly in that role as far as ’syvanen’ and other similarly like minded are concerned. I have been of the opinion from day one that Ross was merely a ‘token’ to appease the concerns of the Israeli Lobby.

This envoy of peculiar sorts is a minister without a specific portfolio and doesn’t report directly to the big chief like the other plenipotentiary legates Mitchell or Holbrooke, not to mention checked by a body guard of generals and diplomats in all his supposed areas of responsibility.

The “State Department’s explicit denial” may even be a window into the shrewdness of the Obama team, planting false information and leads in the certain knowledge such will be conveyed to certain parties and interests anathema to Obama’s policies and goals.

If my suspicions are correct this has to be embarrassing for Ross and largely explains Israeli consternation and angst with this administration.

By: lester

lester — Sat, 16 May 2009 15:51:00 +0000

imagine if Iraq had been like this. it shows how far we’ve come. I mean, it was page one news when iraq was or wasn’t meeting or the US was setting dealines. instead jim lobe has to dig up news of a deadline I certainly wasn’t aware of and which I doubt most americans were.

the dialogue abuot Irans nuclear program is in the right place: on the perifery/ back burner

By: johnf

johnf — Sat, 16 May 2009 11:22:47 +0000

>But why would he be appointed in the first place if they were planning to hang him out to dry like this?

Pour decourager les autres!

By: Matt

Matt — Sat, 16 May 2009 09:37:30 +0000

Dennis Ross is an Israeli in American disguise. He us simply trying to finesses the public into believing US proposals are genuine. As in Iraq, the real target of Israeli venom against Iran is Iran’s scientific cadres and industrial infrastructure. Israel is dedicated to destroying these cadre. At best, Obama may only want to delay an attack on Iran until certain security objective have been reached in Afghanistan and now Pakistan. Then…

By: Slaney Black

Slaney Black — Sat, 16 May 2009 04:30:54 +0000

Now, I have no idea who the “senior European officials” was with whom Ross communicated

Has to be some of Sarkozy’s people. They’re as bad as the Cheney crowd.

By: syvanen

syvanen — Fri, 15 May 2009 22:53:19 +0000

This very heartening news. If these speculations are correct, it could really mean that Obama is really interested in changing some of the more destructive policies we’ve witnessed the last 30 years.

The appointment of Dennis Ross made it seem there would be no change. But does this mean he is already on the out? Wild if so. But why would he be appointed in the first place if they were planning to hang him out to dry like this?