Obama's Shameful Silence on Iran

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the mullahs are not pulling any punches in putting down the protests over the fraudulent "election" on Friday. Reports have surfaced that the regime is sanctioning--or supporting through proxies--shootings, maimings and beatings of those who are exercising their human right to freedom of speech.

As the Obama administration has so tactlessly made clear with their kid glove treatment of China's human rights policies, they seem to be taking the same approach to Iran. They've said nothing of consequence while muttering non sequiturs and the world is noticing:

Vice President Joe Biden, while expressing "some real doubt" about the election, summed up the administration's position on Sunday's Meet the Press - "we're going to withhold comment... I mean we're just waiting to see." Waiting to see what Mr. Biden? More savage beatings of opposition supporters including women? The further arrest of hundreds of opposition leaders? Even greater suppression of the press and free speech?

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton basically said the same thing in a pathetic statement on Saturday, declaring "the United States has refrained from commenting on the election in Iran," while White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, who thinks nothing of savaging domestic opponents, meekly noted the administration was "impressed by the vigorous debate and enthusiasm this election generated."

As blood flows on the streets of Tehran, the United States government remains as silent as a Trappist Monk. It is highly embarrassing when even the German government is showing more backbone than the White House. In contrast, the Germans, who shamefully happen to be Europe's biggest exporters to Iran, strongly denounced the crackdown on protestors, as have a number of European governments. Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier condemned the "brutal actions" against demonstrators, and summoned the Iranian Ambassador to Berlin in protest.

Here we have a nation that has snubbed its nose at the US for three decades and has given the finger to Obama on numerous ocassions brutally repressing civilians who seek greater freedom. Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, FDR and yes, even George W. Bush would have been condemning the Iranian leadership at every opportunity. But they had what was once known as guts and an unwavering sense of American exceptionalism. Obama (and most liberals) on the other hand will find some way to blame this on the US while letting the Mullahs and Ahmadinejad off the hook with a few words akin to "we condemn..." or the more mealy-mouthed "we strongly condemn..."

Here we have people protesting and dying to gain some semblance of freedom, the very thing America stands as a beacon (and one the Iranians who are being oppresses are counting on) of and the President can't condemn a brutal theocracy who he had coddled since day one with overtures of talks with no conditions and expressions of peace through speeches.

Oh yeah, Obama did take some action; he removed a major State Dept player who knows Iran well to appease the mullahs. Kind of like voting "present".

As an aside: George W. Bush labeled Iran, North Korea and Iraq the Axis of Evil. Not surprisingly, the one who has been given a new nation with a functioning democracy has learned to live as a free nation while the others have stepped up their level of rhetoric to heretofore unforeseen heights.

Hope and change baby, hope and change.

Update: Obama spoke after three, count 'em, thre days and said, well...nothing of consequence. People are dying and wanted a concrete statement and got rhetoric from The One: