Obama dismayed by Iran sentence

[AlphaCentauri]

Source: BBC

The US has expressed dismay after a court in Iran jailed an Iranian-American journalist, Roxana Saberi, for eight years on spying charges.

Ms Saberi, 31, was sentenced after a secret one-day trial in Tehran.

President Barack Obama "is deeply disappointed at this news," his spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

Correspondents say the case will have serious implications for US-Iranian relations at a time when Mr Obama has reached out to the Tehran.



Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8006561.stm

[bemildred]

1. Maybe this is why he blew off the racism conference. nt

[ohio2007]

6. She's a pawn of give and take. jmo nt

[bemildred]

8. Well yeah.

Definitely Chess too. Not checkers. But when somebody takes a pawn, you gotta have an answer, and not the answer your opponent was looking for. You pull out of the conference and you say "Aw, I'm dissapointed you took that pawn."

[EFerrari]

12. How does that work, though? It looked like the admin was going to stay out

of that conference weeks ago. I don't follow.

[bemildred]

13. I thought they been playing it like a fly for trout.

Which is pretty much what I would do. And they did get some changes, that I thought substantial, in the "final document".

[EFerrari]

15. Interesting. I know that the ALBA countries in Latin America

will not sign off on the OAS doc. They were all very welcoming to Obama but are sending a clear signal that the old rules are not a go right now.

Interesting times.

[bemildred]

16. Yah.

We're so used to dumb asses it takes some adjustment.

Edit: I don't think the decision of the ALBA folks is final yet. It's worth remembering that JFK had a honeymoon in Latin American too, but then again Obama is no JFK.

[Old and In the Way]

2. As well he should.

I'm convinced that there are people in Iran who prefer an antagonistic policy with the US. While I think the vast majority of Iranians want to see Iran work with Obama, that presents a problem for the RW religious power centers who need to keep the US as an enemy...otherwise their whole reason for power becomes questioned.

[EFerrari]

3. Do we know this lady was not a spy? I don't know anything about this case. n/t

[Old and In the Way]

7. Doubtful...but I certainly can't say that from a position of knowledge.

I'm leaning more towards a likely prop for internal Iranian politics.

[EFerrari]

9. Does Iran have a history of using foreigners for that purpose? n/t

[Old and In the Way]

17. Remember the hostages during Carter years?

Why would the RW clerics work to help get Reagan elected? The only thing I can think of is that it helps to keep the country's moderates marginalized.

[EFerrari]

18. Yes, I remember the hostages. That was wrong and it was retribution

for us overthrowing their democracy.

But, you raise a good question about the moderates. My expectation is that Obama's policy will be a boon to them. This may be a play by the extremists for public opinion? Could be. But, in the absence of good information, I don't know.

Iran doesn't seem to go looking for problems. They're had so many opportunities and they just don't.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

35. Weaponry.

Why would the RW clerics work to help get Reagan elected?

Specifically TOW's.

[ohio2007]

10. Your right,we should presume her guilty as they do in an Iranian kangaroo court of law

She drinks wine....guilty as charged but


who the hell sold wine to her in of all places, an Islamic republic ?

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b6a_1209656657
ahhh. the plot thickens

[EFerrari]

11. That's not really an answer to my question.

You claim she's guilty? Do you have a source for that? Thanks.

[ohio2007]

20. Do we know this lady was not a spy? I don't know anything about this case. n/t

To me, your words seem to suggest she very well could be a spy

Do we know this lady was not a spy? I don't know anything about this case. n/t

as for "sources";
In this vid, check out the product being smuggled across the border at :54 mark and freeze it

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b6a_1209656657

Then check out this guy ranting about the same product ;



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT32fJzJ1zU

When it comes to booze in Iran, those are the only two links I got hombre ( hombre, thats Spanish for friend btw ) lol

[EFerrari]

22. "hombre" is not Spanish for "friend".

And yes, I am looking for more information which doesn't mean I'm assuming anything about this lady. :)

[stillcool]

19. that was my first thought...

it's not like it isn't right out of the CIA play book.

[EFerrari]

21. You can almost hear it: "And if they catch her, they'll just look bad".

Whatever. Still need some better information than the usual trashing Iran.

[marshall]

27. If she were, I doubt that Obama would out her

On the other hand the media would have no such compunction. Since they haven't said anything about it yet, I doubt she's a spy.

[cali]

33. we know she had a 1 day closed door "trial".

[rocktivity]

4. And who are we to protest secret trials?

:(
rocktivity

[tomm2thumbs]

5. E X A C T L Y - Cheney/Bush have given us no authority to protest this - they INVENTED it

This sort of thing falls squarely on their ridiculously over-padded shoulders.

[glinda]

28. It was stupid to hear Sen. Amy Klobachar from MN. on tv saying "They don't even

give her a trial with jurors". Like we have any right to talk about unfair treatment now.

[Bluenorthwest]

14. So their secrest trials are bad

while ours are good?

[Demeter]

23. Well, Mr. Obama, Is Torture and War Crime Prosecution on the Table, Now?

If you can't be bothered to enforce your own damn laws, how can you expect anyone else to give a damn?

[stillcool]

26. So much for Democracy eh?

I didn't realize we were still going with that Empirical President thing.

[Demeter]

24. Well, Mr. Obama, Is Torture and War Crime Prosecution on the Table, Now?

If you can't be bothered to enforce your own damn laws, how can you expect anyone else to give a damn?

[AverageJoe5]

25. The U.S. detained Iranian diplomats in Iraq

In 2007 the U.S. military detained Iranian diplomats in Iraq on (probably) trumped up charges that the Iranian diplomats were aiding Iraqi insurgents. The U.S. military may still be holding those diplomats in Iraq. What does Pres. Obama have to say about that?

It's not out of the realm of possibility that Ms. Saberi was a spy, as Iran alleges. The U.S. govt made no secret of the fact that it had a "covert" program aimed at undermining the Iranian regime and the Iranian nuclear program. I recall that about 2 yrs ago Condi Rice (former Sec of State)publicly requested Congress to approve $75 million for that purpose, and Congress approved the finding.

[glinda]

29. I think I read Saberi was a Christian.

[ConcernedCanuk]

30. USA has sorta lost "moral authority" with it's behavior under GW Bush

.
.
.

Gitmo

Abu Ghraib

Water-boarding

Extraordinary rendition

and so on . . .

The WORLD is "disappointed" with the USA's behavior President Obama,

even more-so with the hesitation of the new administration to prosecute the war criminals of the last administration.

And I am quite certain that the USA has many spies in Iran,

and of course the USA would be "disappointed" if they get caught . . .

Meanwhile, the USA remains ominously quiet while Israel threatens to bomb Iran . .

Iranians just MIGHT be a wee bit suspicious of anyone inside its borders with ties to the USA or Israel

Go figure . . .

[Kurska]

31. Gotta love the apologists in this thread

"How do you know she WASN'T a spy"
"We have no right to criticize their secrets kangaroo trials"
"Obviously our actions at gitmo excuse any middle eastern country of arresting and imprisoning our journalists at any given time."

This is just typical of Iran though, what more can you expect from a country that executes homosexuals?

[Fumesucker]

32. I don't see it so much as "apologists"

As people pointing out that our own behavior doesn't leave us much room for pointing fingers at the behavior of others.

Moral authority is hard won and easily squandered, we have squandered whatever moral authority we might at one time have possessed.

[geek tragedy]

34. The reflexive supporters of anti-American dictators

make great fodder for one's ignore list.

It's rare that such people have anything worthwhile to say.