The Obama administration faces a dilemma over how to respond to Iran's disputed election. Strong criticism could backfire but a muted response leaves an impression of weakness. So far senior U.S. officials have given a guarded response to the disputed vote, which sparked violent protests after hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's was declared the easy victor over ex-prime minister Mirhossein Mousavi. Several analysts said on Monday the White House was in a no-win situation but the best option was to stand back rather than inject U.S. views into the Iranian political debate. "The U.S. ability to do harm in Iranian politics is much greater than doing good," said Middle East expert Jon Alterman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Alterman said the U.S. message delivered by Vice President Joe Biden on Sunday was the right one: Washington wants more information about the election before casting judgment and the path of engagement is still open. Domestically, President Barack Obama is under pressure from conservatives who want a more forceful response like that of the European Union which has demanded immediate clarification of the official outcome. Republican Senator John McCain, Obama's opponent in last year's U.S. presidential election, called the reelection of Ahmadinejad "corrupt" and urged the United States to "speak out strongly." Representative Mike Pence, the third-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, criticized Obama for not speaking more forcefully. "It is appropriate for the leader of the free world at this time to speak a word of encouragement to those dissidents in the street," Pence said.But Suzanne Maloney, an Iran expert at the Brookings Institution said publicly siding with pro-democracy protesters could undermine them and work against U.S. interests.
STILL WANT TALKS
"The only option is to sit back and let them play it out," she said. "I think that concern being expressed is perfectly appropriate but you don't want Washington on its high horse." At the State Department on Monday, spokesman Ian Kelly said the United States was troubled by "reports" of violence and voting irregularities but was still assessing the situation. The United States still wanted to look for opportunities to speak to Iran, particularly about the nuclear program the West believes is aimed at building a bomb and Tehran says is for peaceful purposes, he said. But Iran's election turmoil complicates Obama's engagement plans, which reversed decades of trying to isolate Tehran. "An Iran in which the government is seen to be illegitimate will be more difficult to engage with," said former CIA analyst Bruce Riedel. The disputed election and subsequent violence has firmed the resolve of opponents of Obama's outreach policy. Danielle Pletka, an analyst with the conservative American Enterprise Institute, said the United States needed to be even more circumspect over how it dealt with Iran, particularly when the legitimacy of its government was being questioned. "We will need even more proof of their bona fides. Surely a government willing to cheat its own people is more willing to cheat the United States," she said. In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Biden said regardless of the outcome, the Obama administration still wanted to talk. "Talks with Iran are not a reward for good behavior," Biden said. Former Bush administration official Elliott Abrams said that for now the United States should support the Iranian people rather than trying to reach out to its government."In the longer run, I think we take a lesson from Ronald Reagan who both engaged with the Soviets and said publicly that they would end up on the ash-heap of history," said Abrams, referring to former U.S. President Reagan.
Frankly I hope he tries to continue dialouge with them because that will only confirm my suspicion that he is putting "world interest" above the US (the EU, surprisingly, has already come out harsher than the OA and is actually showing balls, who knew). Too bad the oath of the presidency says that the president is supposed to "preserve, protect, and defend the constitution" Not to "Negociate with dictators and despots while constantly apologizing for everything America has done in the 50 years."
Back to Iran, this IS 1979 people. Revolution is coming, if not already here. And is being led by, get this,twitter. Yes TWITTER, you know that annoying text thing you can do on your phone if your a middle-aged man to update his day, a glorified mini-facebook basically, is helping overthrow a regime in Iran. What a world we live in, can't make this shit up.
Andrew Sullivan has this as an update
What's going on in Iran is very hard to understand from the distance we are at. And interpretations of the dizzying events of the last few weeks have varied widely - and still do. In fact, it's hard to remember an event like this on which there is still such a debate. Some today have argued that Ahmadinejad won and that what we are seeing is some sore losers. Others have seen this as a turning point in the history of Iran. Others still think it may be somewhere in between. And the truth is: we do not know. At this point in time, I do not know. We may be misjudging this, over-reading it, misunderstanding it. All we can do is assemble as many facts and test as many theses as possible in real time.
And then you realize: the Iranian people do not know either. So many feel so robbed; others perhaps stay loyal to the regime. There are a dizzying array of actors and institutions now interacting in ways we have absolutely no way of knowing and are beyond the ken of all but a few Westerners. But that too makes an act of faith necessary.
On that blog a few posts down you will find a boy killed by the Iran "security forces" and a lists that states:
This list was being passed around among the resistance in Iran today:
1. Remove Khamenei from supreme leader because he doesn't qualify as a fair supreme leader
2. Remove Ahmadinejad from president because he took it forcefully and unlawfully
3. Put Ayatollah Montazeri as supreme leader until a review group for the ghanooneh asasi ( "constitution" ) is set up
4. Recognize Mousavi as the official president
5. A goverment by Mousavi and start a reform of the constitution
6. Free all political prisoners without any ifs ands or buts, right away
7. Call off any secret organization such as "gasht ershad"
And to continue to support the Iranian people in anyway I can I am changing my facebook profile picture to this as a sign of support from the great plains of the USA
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