Jesse Jackson willing to negotiate for hostages

(CNN) -- American civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson said Sunday that he has "had prayer" with the wife of Thomas Hamill, an American contractor abducted in Iraq, and promised his family he would try to win his freedom.

Jackson said he was also "reaching out" to the family of U.S. Army Pfc. Matt Maupin, a U.S. soldier who also was kidnapped in Iraq by insurgents, and had joined with Pope John Paul II in calling for the release of all hostages kidnapped in Iraq.

"If I knew who was holding them, I would appeal to them directly," Jackson said. "We've already begun to make some back-channel contacts to them."

He said he was willing to travel to Iraq to negotiate for the hostages, but only "if I know with whom to talk and know where to go."

Jackson said he was trying to contact the Arab-language satellite networks to broadcast his appeal.

"Suffice it to say, they watch CNN, they watch Al-Jazeera, and if your voices are heard, it gives us at least a reasonable penetration," he said.

But key on the list of contacts, he said, were Iraq's religious leaders.

"Each time we brought Americans home from hostile zones, the religious leaders played a significant role in making that appeal," said Jackson, referring to his earlier efforts to free hostages in international conflicts.

In 1984, Jackson successfully secured the release of a Navy pilot held in Syria. In 1991, he helped secure the release of 500 "international guests" held in Iraq and in 1999, he worked to convince Yugoslavia to release three U.S. soldiers held there during the Kosovo conflict.

Five people are known to be held by Iraqis in addition to Maupin and Hamill: a Dane, three Italians and an Arab from east Jerusalem.

A U.S. soldier and six civilian contractors are "unaccounted for," and two Germans are missing and presumed dead. An Italian who had been held was executed, and 43 hostages have been released.

Jackson also noted that the idea of a swap -- as the insurgents holding Maupin said in a videotape they wanted to do -- must be considered.

"The U.S. is holding a significant number of theirs," he said. "I think in a situation like this ... the issue of negotiation and swap must not be out of the picture," Jackson said.

Jackson further urged that any American negotiators should "refrain from name calling."

"I would certainly not try to incite them," he said. "One of the key features of negotiation is try to relieve their fears. One can be sensitive to the pain of the other without engaging and embracing their politics."

"Certainly if someone has all the odds in their favor, they have the hatchet in their hand, and your neck is over the fence, you do nothing to incite them," he added. "You appeal to their better judgment, you make humanitarian, moral appeal, not a military threat."

There are times when I genuinely admire Jesse Jackson. But this all too predictable grandstanding we've all come to expect is such a buzzkill......

Exactly, I had a lot of respect for the man until the corporate shakedowns he pulled in the 90's.

How about a prisoner exchange?

Jesse who?

__________________
Bruce Hat
2000 ML320 50K miles
1997 Jaquar XJ6 41K miles
1992 300SL 70K miles - Mint
1995 E320 Wagon 105K miles "Sold" - 10-6-04
1998 E320 "Totalled" - 1-14-04

If you want to know how crooked a stick is, just lay a straight one next to it.

It's not the tall sails that bring a ship to the port of destination, but the unseen wind.

Uncle's quote to me at 12 yrs old "Why walk when you can Bogaloo"

I'd be in favor of a taxpayer funded one-way ticket for Mr. Jackson to go to Iraq.

Heck, they'd have him for 15 minutes and rethink the trade they just made. They'd probably make us take him back.

Never did like him. Always came across as a real phoney M.L.K. wanna-be.

__________________
past MB rides:
'68 220D
'68 220D(another one)
'67 230
'84 SD
Current rides:
'06 Lexus RX330
'93 Ford F-250
'96 Corvette
'99 Polaris 700 RMK sled
2011 Polaris Assault
'86 Yamaha TT350(good 'ol thumper)

DOH! You're right! We'd need to sweeten the pot a little....

Anybody know if Al Sharpton is available?

Al Sharpton -- the only man to run for U.S. president after attacking a reporter with a chair on national television. You gotta love it!

yeah! A 2-fer deal! They can't resist that offer

__________________
past MB rides:
'68 220D
'68 220D(another one)
'67 230
'84 SD
Current rides:
'06 Lexus RX330
'93 Ford F-250
'96 Corvette
'99 Polaris 700 RMK sled
2011 Polaris Assault
'86 Yamaha TT350(good 'ol thumper)

Need more? Okay, Sean Hannity can go too

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
4/17/2004 Statement

Contact: Butch Wing
Assistant to Rev. Jackson
510-869-2202
bwing@rainbowpush.org


Statement by the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson On Withdrawal From Iraq


(CHICAGO) The Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, founder and president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, issued the following statement:

As the situation in Iraq deteriorates on a daily and weekly basis, it is time for the Bush Administration to admit its ill-conceived and deceitful war has failed. Today, we are appealing to the Bush Administration to work with the U.N. to chart an expeditious exit from Iraq. It is time to “bring the boys home.”

As the casualties in Iraq continue to mount, it is becoming clearer and clearer that the primary casualty of this war is truth and the credibility of the Bush Administration. The world community, and mounting U.S. public opinion, no longer has confidence in the Bush Administration. The President, Vice President, Secretary of State Powell, National Security Advisor Rice, and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld continue to spin a story that “the war is going fine, we will stay the course,” when we know the reverse is true and the reversal of course is needed.

Every piece of “evidence” cited by President Bush as the basis for launching the war in Iraq has been exposed as falsehood: we have found no weapons of mass destruction; there was no “imminent” threat posed by Iraq; they have found no “ties to Al Qaeda.” Even Secretary Colin Powell now admits that we went in on flawed intelligence information. More to the point, the Bush Administration started with a foreign policy conclusion: the US will launch unilateral, pre-emptive strikes against its enemies to dominate Iraq and the region for oil and other economic and political purposes.

The Bush Administration ignored Hans Blix and the U.N.'s reports. In the rush to war, Bush’s ideologues sought to undermine and marginalize the U.N., and divide Europe. Now Rumsfeld, who once said "Old Europe" did not support us and the "New Europe" did, admits he underestimated the gravity and the strength of the resistance in Iraq. All this has led to a flawed policy. In other words, Powell's astonishing statement is, “we knocked on the wrong door.”

We did not find WMDs, nor al Qaeda, nor imminent threat. Since Saddam was arrested the killings and injuries have tripled: over 40,000 Iraqis have been killed or injured; the US death toll is now well over 600 (more than died in the first four years of the Vietnam War); dozens of U.S. and foreign workers are now “missing” and kidnapping has become a tactic of choice in Iraq. Among Iraq’s many casualties is the credibility of the current administration. No longer will any country easily take the word of the U.S. on its face.

The so-called Iraqi democrats and the proposed transition to Iraqi power in June are in shambles. In fact, the war and occupation has diverted attention away from the war on Al Qaeda terror in Afghanistan, and turned Iraq into a world center for expanded and inflamed terrorism. The war and occupation has made the world, and the U.S., more dangerous and less secure. In the cascading revelations of the last weeks, we are beginning to see the truth: Iraq was a war of choice, not of necessity. American soldiers now are dying for the truth.

The Bush Administration remains oblivious to the facts, and clings to its one-note song, “the war is going fine.” But after spending $166 Billion and counting, and facing a record $550 Billion+plus deficit at home and the loss of 2 million jobs – it’s time to change the course in Iraq.

With the help of the U.N. and our European allies, we must end the occupation in Iraq and find a way out. We must make a moral and humanitarian appeal for the release of all hostages, and make a commitment to repair damage done in that country. We desperately need to share the burdens, and gain the legitimacy that the United Nations and less mercenary allied participation would bring. But the Bush administration, intent on never admitting an error, won’t take us there. It plans to sustain 100,000 or so troops in Iraq indefinitely, build the largest U.S. embassy on the globe, and continue to pump in $50 Billion or more in U.S. funding a year. We must call on the Bush Administration to go another way, quickly, expeditiously, and truthfully. War, violence and occupation are is an unsustainable, immoral option. Finally, I am appealing to the captor(s) of Mr. Thomas Hamill to release him as a humanitarian gesture. The world has witnessed scores of killings and abounding destruction during this season of unrest; threatening to kill or killing more people is not a reasonable means to ending this unfortunate conflict. Sparing Mr. Hamill’s life and others held in captivity is not a sign of weakness, but a moral responsibility. By doing so, a glimmer of hope and inspiration can be felt by a mass community now in despair.

Peace in Iraq and in the rest of the continent hangs in the balance, and we must learn to ‘talk it out’ – not ‘fight it out’. We continue to pray for the day when reconciliation and reconstruction is the order of the day in Iraq and throughout the globe.

I must say -- I think Jackson summed it all up pretty well, not that I'm advocating any right to interfere in government affairs. The man does have a way with words.....

question.

what is jesse jackson's official job title? is he employed by the government? is he a lobbyist?

seriously, what is he other than a loudmouth? i really don't know

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Jennifer
90 350sdl

He is a political activist with a bad habit of trying to grab the limelight at the most predictable times. Still, that doesn't detract from the accuracy of his statement regarding Iraq.