DISQUS

ChrisWWW · 5 months ago

PWT,
Speaking out was and is the wrong thing for our President to do. You should speak out all you want, and invite your fellow citizens to join you. However, our President should not pick sides in an internal debate between establishment candidates. Criticizing violence is as far as Obama should have gone.

PWT · 5 months ago

Why would it have been wrong for Mr. Obama to speak out? What would be the consequences for the US?

Why shouldn't he pick sides? In your view, is he incapable of making that type of moral judgment?

Why does it matter who the debate is between? He was certainly able to choose sides in Honduras.

Have the republicans urged him to do more than criticize? If so, which ones?

shannonlee · 5 months ago

First of all, I doubt 75% of Americans could point to Iran on a map or pronounce its name correctly. Second, most Americans aren't exactly in tune to the daily comments made by politicians on Iran. I am guessing they believe Obama's last statement was his first statement. I doubt many of them, us, know that Obama's first statement showed more indifference than anything...by saying the two leaders are basically the same so it doesn't really matter who wins...yes that was a brutal paraphrase.

So who are the major conservative politicians saying that we should intervene in Iran? Last I checked, most of them are happy about Obama's last statement and were wondering what took him so long.

Is today, "Attack conservative radio day" on TMV? I don't listen to the junk, btw.

PWT · 5 months ago

The poll results are the poll results. However, the question is loaded. There is a big difference between 'intervening' and pulling up your big-girl pants speaking out. Speaking out, is what was called for, that it took Mr. Obama more than a week to get to that point, suggest that he is still wrestling with his little-girl pull-ups.

But, you can take the poll results however you wish if it will help you sleep at night.

DLS · 5 months ago

"Is today, 'Attack conservative radio day' on TMV?"

"I doubt 75% of Americans could point to Iran on a map or pronounce its name correctly."

The second item kind of explains why the first could and even would happen.

DLS · 5 months ago

"There is a big difference between 'intervening' and pulling up your big-girl pants speaking out."

Actually, Obama has spoken out (or up), simply refrained from doing anything that would be like Bush the Elder, encouraging the people to revolt, only to see them brutally suppressed without our willingness to attack the government (with our military, that is). (That is true even if Iran already is brutally suppressing what is much less than a revolt currently.)

In addition to avoiding the elder Bush's error, as I wrote elsewhere some time ago, Obama likely also must face the same situation as Nixon, having to deal with a government with blood on its hands (not limited to those governments who merit our support by taking our side in the Cold War and working with us to counter Soviet foreign aggression, as happened in earlier times all over the world). Plus there is the Chinese example as one more thing to consider.

DLS · 5 months ago

"Criticizing violence is as far as Obama should have gone."

Actually, he or his proxies (such as Clinton) have criticized the electoral misconduct as well, and of course Obama and Company have actually gone what some might say is going too far (which means the equivalent of the "speaking up" some demand): they intervened to keep Twitter operating when it was to be shut down (which constitues supporting the demonstrators, not merely allowing them to communicate outside Iran) and they apparently increased if not began new broadcasting in Farsi on (US) government radio.

Silas8 · 5 months ago

Shannonlee,

A majority of Americans may not know much about Iran, but they do know that eight years of bullying the world has gotten us exactly nowhere. They're open to a new approach, one that includes thinking first and not just shouting your mouth off a la McCain, Graham and the neocons.

I listened to these guys and while your view is reasonable (happy with Obama's final statement) it was clear to the average viewer (as per this poll) that they wanted the tension turned up day one, even as Iranians risked their lives and stated over and over that Obama's handling of the situation was just fine with them.

shannonlee · 5 months ago

DLS...that was pretty good :)

Silas8, we've been bullying Iran for decades....it isn't a neocon thing, it is an American thing. It took Obama quite some time to final say what was needed to the Iranian government. I personally believe it had nothing to do with carefully thinking through the obvious reaction, it had more to do with not knowing what to do in the first place.

This is what happens when you pick a VP who thought splitting Iraq into 3 different countries was the best way to fix their civil war.

I believe that most often than not, Obama will come up with the correct response. I just think it will take too long because of his lack of experience. Hopefully we never run into any time critical problems.

hass · 5 months ago

There is still no real evidence of election fraud in Iran. Every claim has been compiled and analyzed in detail at IranAffairs.com, and none stands up to scrutiny.

THINK: Was Mousavi, a former prime minister and very much regime insider, such a threat to the regime that they would have to resort to massive election fraud to keep him out of office? No.

Logicon · 5 months ago

People are sick of war, especially wars where America is always the loser. We can't demand anything of Iran because we can't back it up, so what is the point of making any demands or getting in their business. Obama said the reason he didn't say anything about Iran's actions is because he didn't want to meddle in other country's business, but it didn't stop him from meddling in Israel's business, telling them where they can and cannot build homes. What gall.

Obama is a traitor to America in everything he does. Cozying up to terrorist countries and terrorist organizations, cutting off European countries, taxing us to our death, hating anyone who believes in the Bible and the Constitution, calling tax protestors, vets, Christians and illegal immigrant protestors terrorists. Saying this is a Muslim country, not a Christian country.

He has put his personal people in every important position there is in government and tells them what to do. What will it take for people to wake up and see this man for the vile traitor he is. He isn't the only traitor in our government, but he is the highest traitor. NAFTA, CAFTA and NAT are traitorous acts to this country, but we are going down without a whimper. So sad.