Change They Believed In
Apparently, stealing an election, murdering 17 protesters (that we know of) and banning a wake for one isn’t enough to change President Hopenchange’s non-stance on Iran. Presidential spokeshole Robert Gibbs (who has already performed the monumental task of making Scott McClellan look marginally competent) non-explains the administration’s non-stance thusly:
“He’ll continue to speak out in support of those that are seeking to demonstrate and do so in a way peacefully,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told FOX News. “We don’t want to inject our government in the place of the reformers in this equation.”
Mr. Gibbs goes on to non-explain the government’s non-stance by cautioning that staking out a position on Iranian democracy, pro or con, could cause the U.S. to become a ”political football” or “foil.” What I want to know is, if the US of friggin’ A can’t be trusted to take the side of freedom and democracy everywhere in the world, then who the hell can?!
UPDATE: More here.
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:48 am
[...] Via Xrlq. [...]
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Gibbs’ “non-explanation” is pretty much the consensus view of most credible Iran/Middle East experts: any action by the United States that could be spun as “meddling” in Iranian affairs* would be directly counterproductive to the cause of the protesters — it would serve only to further entrench the hardliners. The only people I’ve seen arguing otherwise are the Bill Kristol types who have been demonstrably wrong about pretty much every foreign policy thing they’ve talked about over the last several years.
* – Note that the Iranian authorities will attempt that spin anyway, but direct action or threats on our part will lend credibility to that spin, and work directly against our interests in the region.
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June 23rd, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Because when a highly authoritarian government with complete and total control of broadcast media in the area spin something, really rely on ‘credibility’ that a fucking speech would do.