So by now you probably know that President Bush made a speech in the Israeli Parliament with a statement that engaging in talks with Iran was "appeasement". (You can get the exact wording at the CNN Link provided below.)

What ever else that did, it converted Obama's fight from a three way between himself, Senator Clinton and Senator McCain to one between Democrats and Republicans at large.

In thinking of this topic, I'm reminded of the counsel of one Vito Corleone to his son Michael in Godfather I. "Hold your friends close," Vito said, "And your enemies closer." If it works for Don Corleone, seems like it should work for Obama.

"Appeasement" is a negative term most commonly associated with the failure of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to take the actions needed to prevent World War II in Europe. A point of clarification must be made. The problem was not that Chamberlain negotiated with Adolf Hitler. The problem was that Chamberlain negotiated poorly.

Last year I read (and if memory serves I blogged about it) Leonard Mosley's book about the year leading up to the beginning of World War II, On Borrowed Time. Published in 1969, Mosley was a British reporter in Germany at the time of those events, knew many of the players in that era and fashioned the book from many of his own personal notes at the time. One thing came through loud and clear. The characteristics and behaviors of Neville Chamberlain have erie parallels to the characteristics and behaviors of one George W. Bush. Bush himself likes to think of himself as Winston Churchill. The truth of the matter is that (by example of Mosley's book) Obama fills that role much more accurately.

Sorry, folks, but them's the facts as I find them based on my research.

Here's the link.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/16/obama.bush.mccain/index.html