Obama and McCain spar over talking to enemies

By Caren Bohan- Analysis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ronald Reagan met Mikhail Gorbachev, Richard Nixon met Mao Zedong and John F. Kennedy met Nikita Khrushchev, so why shouldn't the next U.S. president meet with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?

Democrat Barack Obama says he is willing to sit down with the Iranian leader. Republican John McCain calls that "reckless."

The two candidates have sparred over whether U.S. presidents should meet with adversaries -- despite Washington's long history of talking to its enemies -- in a clash that could help define the foreign policy debate ahead of the November presidential election.

McCain, an Arizona senator and Vietnam War hero, has hammered Obama daily on the issue, suggesting he sees an opening to paint the likely Democratic nominee for the election as soft on national security issues.

But several analysts said the strategy may not work. Fatigue with the Iraq war may make Americans more open to the Illinois senator's call for a fresh approach emphasizing diplomacy.

"The Cold War rhetoric and even the terrorism rhetoric are becoming old hat," said Stephen Wayne, a professor of government at Georgetown University. "The mood of the American public seems to be one where there is a sense that talking is probably better than fighting."

James Lindsay, a former Clinton administration official now at the University of Texas, said there was "nothing unusual or out of line" in Obama's stance.

"Was Richard Nixon weak because he went to China? Was Ronald Reagan weak because he met with Gorbachev? History says no," he said.