This is simply unbelievable!
Dennis Ross used to have this position, until he left to go to the National Security Council. In any case, John Limbert will be the head Iran official in the U.S. State Department.
And who is Mr. Limbert? Laura Rozen at Politico has some insights:
A former ambassador to Mauritania who speaks fluent Farsi, Limbert retired from a 33-year career with the Foreign Service in 2006 with the rank of Minister-Counselor. He is the recipient of the Department’s highest award, the Distinguished Service Award, as well as an Award for Valor for his more than a year as a hostage in Iran, months of it spent in solitary confinement. He has been teaching at the U.S. Naval Academy since 2006, and also served as president of the American Foreign Service Assocation (2003-2005). This year, he published a book through the US Institute of Peace, Negotiating with Tehran: Wrestling with the Ghosts of History — a subject that will come in handy in his new role in the Obama administration. (Here’s the Cliff Notes version.)
He spoke Wednesday at an event at the National Iranian American Council, of which he is on the advisory board, on the thirtieth anniversary of the hostage crisis, and was said to have had an unpublicized ceremony marking his new appointment at State on Thursday.
“He’s a wonderful choice, one of the most decent people I know and someone who has the best interests of the United States and Iran in mind,” said the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Karim Sadjadpour.
Let me break more of this down for you all, because it might be a bit hard to fully understand…
What we know thus far is this:
- Mr. Limbert spoke at and is on the board of the National Iranian American Council.
- Mr. Limbert was published by and affiliated with the US Institute of Peace.
- Mr. Limbert is being praised by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Karim Sadjadpour.
- Mr. Sadjadpour apparently believes that Mr. Limbert has the best interests “of the United States and Iran in mind.”
So let’s parse through this information, shall we?
First of all, our old friends, the National Iranian American Council (NIAC)! You may remember them from my posts about J Street, that progressive “pro-Israel, pro-peace” organization (which in reality is an anti-peace and anti-Israel organization). I wrote about Trita Parsi speaking at J Street, and how interesting it was that an Iranian lobbyist was speaking at J Street. Mr. Parsi is in fact in charge of NIAC. Here is a refresher link to re-introduce who Trita Parsi is, and how he is an official lobbyist for the Iranian regime. Yes – just so you did not get whiplash, NIAC and J Street are in fact connected!
So, just so we are fully understanding, that means that Mr. Limbert is on the Board of Directors of an organization, NIAC, that is an official lobbyist for the Iranian regime.
Now let’s go to the second link – the U.S. Institute of Peace. This sounds like a fabulous organization! Who doesn’t like peace? Yet check out this Daniel Pipes link, about how the U.S. Institute of Peace has been linked with Kamran Bohkari, a member of the Al-Muhajiroun (yes, a jihadist), that celebrated the “Magnificent 19″ hijackers. This same “institute” also funds pro-Hamas propaganda. (see IPT story here) This “institute” also was heavily involved in the Iraq Study Group, which called for selling Israel down the river in exchange for “PEACE, peace in our time!”
Mr. Limbert is involved with this “peace institute,” which he publishes his books through.
And now let’s examine the other source mentioned in Laura Rozen’s column, namely, Karim Sadjadpour, who praises Mr. Limbert. Who is Mr. Sadjadpour? Well, I dug up this little gem of a column in Haaretz, where he claims that Khamenei does not mean ill harm to Israel, and that an Israeli attack on Iran would only increase, not decrease, the threat from Iran. He also wrote a column decrying the Congressional vote declaring the Revolutionary Guard “terrorists,” and has repeatedly called for “engagement” with the bloodthirsty Iranian regime.
It thus should be no surprise that Mr. Sadjadpour also believes that Mr. Limbert has the best interests of the USA and Iran in mind. Hmm…very interesting. And how exactly could someone have both the best interests of the USA and Iran in mind? How exactly are American interests aligned with the bloodthirsty thugocracy of Iran?
So then we go full circle and ask…who is Mr. Limbert himself, beyond his associations?
Answer: he is someone who calls for ‘engagement’ with Tehran, even in light of their brutal suppression of democracy, and even calls for the U.S. to negotiate “without preconditions.”
He even called the U.S. the “puppet master” of Iran under the Shah, is married to an Iranian woman (who likely influences his views), and even advocates talks without dealing with the nuclear issue head-on, and with no time tables. Source. He proudly said as much at the NIAC (Iranian lobby in DC) conference, where he also said he was “agnostic” on whether Iran is seeking nukes. (!!!)
This is who Obama sees fit to give the head job at the State Department, in charge of “negotiations” with Tehran. Someone who, as the evidence shows so clearly, is associated with the Iranian regime lobby in Washington D.C., and someone whose friends apparently believe he will be pushing Iranian regime interests.
In case anyone has any doubts, it is quite clear where Obama stands with regards to Iran and so-called “engagement,” now that he has appointed Limbert, a man linked to the Iranian lobby, to such a sensitive position. It is all the more intriguing to see the J Street connection popping up yet again.
