President Obama on Protests in Iran: "It Would Be Wrong for Me to Be Silent"

[kpete]

Source: abc

President Obama on Protests in Iran: "It Would Be Wrong for Me to Be Silent"

June 15, 2009 7:13 PM

"It is up to Iranians to make decisions about who Iran’s leaders will be," President Obama said this afternoon, underlining "that we respect Iranian sovereignty."

The president added, however, that he is "deeply troubled by the violence I have been seeing on television. I think that the, the democratic process, free speech, the ability for people to peacefully dissent, all those are universal values and need to be respected."

Mr. Obama said the US "will continue to pursue a tough direct dialogue between our two countries and we’ll see where it takes us. But even as we do so, it would be wrong for me to be silent about what we’ve seen on the television over the last few days and what I would say to those people who put so much hope and energy and optimism into the political process, I would say to them that the world is watching and inspired by their participation regardless of what the ultimate outcome of the election was."

The president said the disputed election would not change his belief in greater diplomatic efforts with Iran.

Read more: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/06/-president-obama-on-protests-in-iran-it-would-be-wrong-for-me-to-be-silent.html

[timeforpeace]

1. Correct. Well said.

Just the right tone. Even more forceful than I had hoped. In that it was extemporaneous was even more impressive.

[lxlxlxl]

2. incredibly well put

no names...support for peaceful dissent, and recognition of how massive that dissent is. i didnt expect him to use the word 'inspiring' but that's the way it is for me.

[JDPriestly]

3. Good for Obama.

[TaxCollector]

19. A Good Start

But, will Obama publicly call for free, multi-party elections in China?

[JDPriestly]

33. I don't think he will have the courage to do that.

I'm for all the things he does right, but they are much fewer and much further between than they should be.

[John Q. Citizen]

4. Is he talking about the freezing out of single payer advocates?

Oh, i see, it's about Iran.

Darn it, I thought he might have been walking the talk.

[humbled_opinion]

5. I guess you won't be satisfied until

We are back in the bushes.

Obama has said exactly what needs to be said on Iran. Let the people be free to protest and lets see where it leads we could be on the verge of a peaceful Iranian Revolution.

[John Q. Citizen]

8. ? I was disappointed that Clinton let bush Sr off the hook, and i'm hoping Obama doesn't make the

same blunder with Jr.

i guess we will see.

So don't blame me that we got 2 bushies. Blame their enablers. i would have thrown both their asses in prison were it up to me.

[troubledamerican]

22. But WHY did Clinton let Bush Sr. off the hook? Looking for real answer, not reactionary posturing..

Anyone know?

[John Q. Citizen]

26. Sure. Friends watch out for friends. It's the same reason that big city police depts

have completely separate and isolated internal affairs units.

It's hard to hold your friends accountable.

[troubledamerican]

27. I don't buy that.

I would've agreed with any answer about blackmail, quid pro quos, Mena airfields, subterfuge or some other arcane answer.

Ascribing Clinton's motives to friendship with Bush -- especially at that point, in 1992 -- rings false.

I would've even bought it if you'd claimed that Clinton was recruited at Oxford to the CIA and therefore too many CIA-Cocaine skeletons were poised to avalanche out of the closet under further Iran/Contra investigations.

I still don't have any solid answers. I'll bet the real answer is much more wild than anyone is speculating. Except nobody's really speculating. Just a lot of reactionary projection of motives.

[John Q. Citizen]

28. Whatever.

[Individualist]

29. Learn about DLC and their relationship with neocons

http://www.nndb.com/group/269/000093987/

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/12/1/52221/7678

[mike_c]

6. no-- it's OK to be silent about greedy American corporations and their profits....

It's just not OK to be silent about other countries' elections and such. 'Specially in parts of the world where we want our greedy corporations to enjoy the fruits of empire.

[tocqueville]

7. see my comparison here...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5856585

[Demeter]

9. Oh, I Don't Know. Silence Can Be Golden, When One Minds His Own Business

And believe me, America needs to start doing that.

[Dutch]

30. So you would just tell those fighting for a freer Iran to fuck right off?

[bertman]

10. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks the American President should keep his nose

COMPLETELY out of Iran's domestic business. Especially when we can't even keep our elections fair.

Just more imperial hubris IMO.

[robcon]

11. Great speech. Proud that I voted for him.

perfect message.

[goclark]

Duplicate ~ sorry

[goclark]

12. Me too ~ wonder what Bush would have said

Thankfully we don't have to listen to a stupid puppet anymore.

[bertman]

16. American exceptionalism. Ain't it wonderful. We get to illegally invade and occupy any

country we feel like, bomb their cities, kill their children, destroy their infrastructure, and then go admonishing other democracies when their politics go south. How quaint.

What's the difference in a stupid puppet and a smart puppet who gives good speeches?

[Dutch]

31. Funny. I'm profoundly depressed that ANYONE on a supposedly "Progressive" forum

Thinks the POTUS should not stand in solidarity with the Iranian reformers. Cruel indifference.

[Demeter]

32. Exactly. Who Are We To Lecture Others About Free and Fair Elections?

Or War Crimes? Or Fraud and Embezzlement? Or Violating international law?

Some quiet humility and reparations, starting at home and extending abroad, would be a welcome and necessary thing to get ANY credibility back for the US form of government and its officials.

[AngryAmish]

13. And so the revolution fails

The regime will fall only if

1) They lose their nerve, and

2) the Revolutionary Guard turns

Well, the folks running the show are the ayatollahs, and they think god put them in charge. Their enemy is Satan, so crushing the kids is their religious obligation.

The Revolutionary Guard lives well. They are not shooting everyone in the street like they did in 99. The are taking pictures of the people on the street and grabbing people hanging out with them. Those people grabbed then have their mothers and girlfriends grabbed. The RG let the people grabbed off the street talk to their moms or girlfriends for ten seconds, then are told in a separate room that their moms and girlfriend will (of course) be raped, killed or worse unless they name all their friends on the street (whose photos were taken). Over the next week to ten days all those named will disappear in the middle of the night.

RG wins since they have the guns and they have the will.

We are pathetic.

[Turborama]

14. Re: the Republican Guard actions you mention, got any links? n/t

[humbled_opinion]

15. So what exactly are you implying?

Because Obama has not acted by taking military action in support of the protesters we are pathetic?

What exactly would you have Obama do? Its a no win situation, or would your rather have Bush and Cheney back to nuke the whole damn thing?

[ohio2007]

17. US boots on the ground will galvanize a large segment of the population against "the invaders"

there will be no June invasion yet people have been predicting them since 2003.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZErZx9JVS0

[No Elephants]

25. Do we really have the troops? We are already stop lossing them and we have not fully

ramped up in Afghanistan yet.

[Alameda]

18. Given out history in Iran, we have to tread lightly

Operation Ajax has not been forgotten in the ME

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat

[tavalon]

20. It would also be wrong for you to ignore the wrongdoing of the previous American administration

Since you're in the mood not to ignore things.

[Michigander4Dean]

21. So why is he silent? Between this and GLBT, he doesn't care about freedom

[robcon]

23. Doesn't care about freedom.? That's a lie, MI4Dean.

His caring for freedom is is his actions, and in his speeches, especially in Cairo and about Iran.

[bdamomma]

24. exactly the right response, plus the world is watching.