Jennifer Rubin’s take on Obama foreign policy adviser Daniel Kurtzer’s trip to Damascus:
The naivité is staggering. What productive negotiations does Kurtzer have in mind? And might he have conveyed any message that gives the Syrians hope that Obama is anxious to do diplomatic business? I don’t suppose Kurtzer offered any stern message on Syrian behavior or on Assad’s client terror group Hezbollah. And now Obama’s disclaiming any involvement, as he always does when his advisors get caught doing this sort of thing (e.g. Robert Malley’s visit with Hamas). But we shouldn’t be confused. This is a preview of an Obama administration: unbridled faith in negotiation, no disapproval of terror sponsorship, and an utter lack of appreciation for the degree to which American goodwill is converted into propaganda points for hostile regimes.
I think Kurtzer’s best line: “None of us thought we were being used or abused … But we will see over time.”
