I can’t see a scenario where the U.S. would enter Iran and fix things. For that reason I believe our support for the Iranians (from the top) must remain somewhat muted.
The last thing I want to see, is the Iranian people put their lives on the line thinking the U.S. will swoop in and rescue them. If they were given hope, and that didn’t happen, it would be a betrayal of sorts.
Trying to shame the government of Iran into submission may be the right thing to do here.
I’m willing to listen to folks who may have a better idea. Our people are certainly making it clear that they support the Iranian populace.
I guess Obama and the international community could talk about sanctions. We’ve seen what good that does. And who would that hurt in the end anyway..., the people we support.
I’m not sure what alternatives we really do have right now.
“I’m not sure what alternatives we really do have right now.”
The alternative from day ONE, would have been for Obama to dispense with calling the Ayatollah ‘Dear Supreme Leader’ and to show some moral clarity for christs sake!
He is a day late and a dollar short. How can Obama have any effect whatsoever when he has waited for days to say anything remotely of substance? He has blown it!
No one is saying we should enter Iran and fix things.
What we should be doing is voicing support towards the Iranian people that want freedom and liberty. Moral support is a powerful weapon when coming from the leader of the free world. Worked for Reagan in Poland.
Obama couldn't bring himself to say anything. That is the problem. He wouldn't even go to his much-vaunted UN. He didn't even have a high level meeting about the Iran elections.
He's shown weakness. His silence has shown the Iranian people that he supports the Mullahs.
He's got no moral authority any more. He's lost it. Any statement from now on is for political posturing.
It's all about him.
Good, common sense there, D O. I agree with you.
“I’m not sure what alternatives we really do have right now.”
He could give stronger language like Sarkozy and the Brits and Germans are, and unify with out “allies” on message.
Read through his lines, everything he says communicates a dissatisfaction that events are not unfolding within the context of his imagined “debate” with the “Muslim World.” “As I said in Cairo...” He is that egotistical, surely fueled by his acolyte toadys.
That statement, “As I said in Cairo” communicates to you Obama’s mentality. What does Cairo have to do with Tehran?
How about this—not equating Mousavi with A-jad. He did that, and that was an insult. No two ways about it, he’s a prima donna.
Very thoughtful post-I appreciate your thinking, I’m just not totally with the avoidance thing ( or the wait and see what happens thing ). Regardless of who wins or who rules the best or worst...it is the PEOPLE who make the choice, ie., we got stuck with a socialist totally inexperienced in managing anything, much less the Presidency of the United States of America.
We had no plans for direct intervention in Berlin or Prague either, nor did we send signals to the citizens of East Germany or Czechoslovakia that we would directly intervene, but we gave moral support via our leadership’s statements and actions.....and that played a large part in the collapse of those oppressive regimes. Our government’s support was not “muted” in those cases. Why aren’t we doing that now?
DoughtyOne, there are always alternatives. A very strong and immediate statement from the president placing the U.S. squarely on the side of the protesters would have been just the first step. Then there are several back-channel things we could do, such as:
--> moving arms to the Iranian opposition, like presidents Reagan and Bush 43 did in Afghanistan,
--> allowing the U.S. embassy to take in wounded protesters,
-->sending in CIA "advisors" like President Bush 43 did in Afghanistan and Iraq before sending in our troops.
Ocoward appears content issuing mealy mouthed platitudes.
The NSA could (AND SHOULD) launch a cyberattack against Iran’s internet firewall and bring it down, allowing freedom of information within the country again. We can (and should) also take over Iranian state media and give it to the opposition.
“The last thing I want to see, is the Iranian people put their lives on the line thinking the U.S. will swoop in and rescue them. If they were given hope, and that didn’t happen, it would be a betrayal of sorts.”
the other side of the coin is that the iranian govt may be given hope that the US won’t intervene and are emboldened to get even tougher on the protesters.