Mark, I’ve no idea whether there were any preconditions ahead of that 1959 meeting or not (although I doubt it), and my comments aren’t specifically directed at the Obama doctrine (such as it is). My point is only that a willingness to meet adversaries is not necessarily a sign of weakness. In fact it can be the opposite. Incidentally, President Eisenhower did meet Egypt’s Nasser in 1960, while both Nixon and Bush (senior) met the elder Assad during their respective presidencies. Neither Nasser nor Assad could exactly be described as Middle East peace activists…