James Baker: Negotiation Is Not Appeasement

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John McCain has called James Baker, former chief of staff to Reagan and former Secretary of State to George H. W. Bush, “the smartest guy I know.”

I wonder how smart McCain thinks these comments from Baker are. Baker said them in October 2006, but they’re increasingly relevant today.

By the way, McCain also called Brent Scowcroft, former National Security Adviser to Gerald Ford and H. W. Bush, “the smartest guy I know.” Scowcroft recently took apart McCain’s Cuba policy.

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