Poker face

Lately I've been thinking about poker and face-to-face diplomacy with enemy states.
I mean, if I'm getting ready to sit down at the poker table with some friends, I sure as hell am not going to say: "Look, I'm only playing a hand if I have a clear winner. Don't worry about me bluffing."
In effect, that's what John "Pander Bear" McCain is saying when he says he will not meet with the heads of enemy governments. Republicans - and even some conservative Democrats - have been shaking their heads over Barrack Obama's position that he would be willing to sit down, without preconditions, with the heads of enemy states like Iran or excommunicated natons like Cuba.
In an OpEd piece in Sunday's Boston Globe Mark Oppenheimer made an excellent point: once you set preconditions you're saying, "I won't play unless I've already won."
How does one reach any kind of accord with a nation unless there is some kind of meeting of the minds? Does that mean we get everything we want? Those that even think that's possible are stuck in some kind of time warp, romanticizing about the "perfect" outcome of World War II.
Talking does not mean capitulating.
Anyway, I don't think our foreign image can get much worse than it is right now after eight years of the vaunted Bush Doctrine.
The globe is a much smaller planet than it was 60 years, or even 30 years ago. We can no longer dictate our policies to the world. Might no longer makes right. While we do have to remain strong and be willing to defend ourselves from enemies, we no longer have the luxury to ignore our foes or potential foes unless we stack the deck first. I think the days of enemies squaring off against one another on the field of battle, clearly identified by their different uniforms, are relegated to the history books.
Besides, it's not such a radical idea to talk to the enemy. Even the God of Presidential Hawks Ronald Reagan sat down with Gorbachev.
Obama is not saying he's going to be a patsy for these charlatans. He's not saying they will dictate the rules of the game. All he's saying is he won't rule out sitting with them at some point if both sides can mutually agree to the rules and place.
And, to me, that's good poker playing.