Obama attacks Bush over 'appeasement' remarks

By Jeff Mason

WATERTOWN, S.D. (Reuters) - Democrat Barack Obama accused President George W. Bush on Friday of "fear-mongering" for suggesting Democrats wanted to appease terrorists and vowed to meet leaders of hostile nations like Iran if elected.

Obama, relishing a long-distance debate with Bush on foreign policy, said the president had contributed to Tehran's rise in the Middle East by launching the Iraq war, which he said had removed Baghdad as a counterweight to Iran.

The Illinois senator said Republican presidential nominee John McCain was as much to blame as Bush for what he termed a failure of U.S. policy in the Middle East.

"They're trying to fool you, and trying to scare you, and they're not telling the truth. And the reason is because they can't win a foreign policy debate on the merits. But it's not going to work," said Obama, the Democratic front-runner vying to face McCain in the November presidential election.

Speaking to reporters after a speech, Obama said if elected president he would meet, with preparation but without preconditions, leaders Bush has avoided -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, North Korea's Kim Jong-il and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

"I would engage in direct talks," he said.

Iran, Syria and North Korea are considered by the U.S. State Department to be state sponsors of terrorism while Venezuela has stoked anti-American sentiment in South America.

Bush triggered Democratic outrage on Thursday by saying in a speech in Israel that some politicians would pursue the "false comfort of appeasement" by negotiating with militant groups like the Palestinian Hamas and Hezbollah organizations and Iran.