Escalation: “Troubled” Obama now has “deep concerns” about Iran
posted at 2:40 pm on June 16, 2009 by Allahpundit
One more day of brutal crackdowns and he’ll be at the dreaded “grave doubts” stage. Actually, I’m not going to hassle him about this in light of the welcome news that the State Department asked Twitter to postpone maintenance last night in order to keep the lines open for Iran’s protesters. Good to know, although it does make Obama’s fretting about being seen as “meddling” seem absurd. If you’re going to lean on Twitter and then announce it, why not go the whole nine meddling yards and set up some sort of satellite-based open channel for Iranians to communicate on?
I do like what he has to say near the end about how “something has happened in Iran” to change the dynamic between the people and the regime, which should give the media a handy soundbite to start pushing the revolution meme. That’s not as far-fetched as it was two days ago: As I’m writing this, Iranians are tweeting that Khamenei has once again endorsed the election result and warned the people to accept it even as thousands of Mousavi supporters are marching on the offices of state TV. Meanwhile, the reformist cleric Grand Ayatollah Montazeri — whose stature is such that he was once slated to succeed Khomeini as supreme leader — has reportedly come out in favor of the protesters, declaring the result something “that no one in their right mind can believe.” Quote, according to a blogger’s translation: “I ask the police and army personals not to ‘sell their religion’, and beware that receiving orders will not excuse them before god. Recognize the protesting youth as your children.” What this means to Iran’s lesser clerics, the military, and the protesters, especially in light of Khamenei’s declaration the result was a “divine assessment,” I guess we’ll see, but it’s all to the good.
Exit question: How would Saddam be reacting to all this if he was still in charge in Iraq?
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy










Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Comment pages: « Previous 1 2
Iran is a tiny country that is above his pay grade.
bluelightbrigade on June 16, 2009 at 3:26 PM
Something tells me that we probably wouldn’t even need to rig such a poll.
UltimateBob on June 16, 2009 at 3:29 PM
He is worried,
hair even turned grey last night.
seven on June 16, 2009 at 3:29 PM
Obama cannot Twitter because is requires limiting yourself to 140 characters.
And he has many more than that.
profitsbeard on June 16, 2009 at 3:29 PM
If nothing good comes out of this (and let’s pray that this is a real turning point for the people of Iran), at least Obama and the rest of the left have had an opportunity to see, and think about, what the government of Iran is all about. After all, they aren’t just threatening to kill jews anymore. This is serious.
Infidoll on June 16, 2009 at 3:30 PM
They’re working on a TOTUS that will Twitter for him.
Akzed on June 16, 2009 at 3:31 PM
Wake me when he reaches the “totally bummed” level of concern.
LASue on June 16, 2009 at 3:32 PM
Is that what it was? I thought he had stood out in the hail, last night. … or bad dandruff.
progressoverpeace on June 16, 2009 at 3:32 PM
Doesn’t change the fact that the statement was true.
Skywise on June 16, 2009 at 3:33 PM
So Obama is for peaceful dissent but not liberty.
Got it.
PattyJ on June 16, 2009 at 3:33 PM
A lot of people disliked and refused to vote for John McCain in the last election because he’s a squishy RINO. That may very well be true, but one thing he is not is a coward.
The US economy may have still gone down the toilet under a McCain administration, but I seriously doubt he would have turned his back on Iran. Obama can’t even bring himself to offer token moral support.
RobertE on June 16, 2009 at 3:36 PM
.
it’s a people to people thing.
Freedom,or some facsimile of freedom, is contagious.
8 years next door of Americans & Iraqis working sht out has had an effect on the Iranian people.
.
& Twitter & the still-free internet have made real info possible.
.
FREEDOM ROCKS & Iran KNOWS it! & that would not have happened if sado-saddam were still dropping citizens into plastic shredders & torturing athletes.
lobosan5 on June 16, 2009 at 3:38 PM
Which statement? From this exchange?
No, it’s not true. You’re wrong on the “racist” poopy-head remark and you’re wrong on the cuases of “what got us into this”.
Riposte was incorrect in thinking that The Precedent represented the US. The whole world knows that support from The Precedent is not support from the US, but otherwise he was correct.
As to whether The Precedent should shut the f**k up, that’s just a good general policy, as the idiot messiah is a moron who is incapable of rational thought.
progressoverpeace on June 16, 2009 at 3:39 PM
That’s a great point for how history will view Obama’s whole run for the presidency was based on capitulating in Iraq.
pedestrian on June 16, 2009 at 3:39 PM
If the Iranian SS does crack down on the dissidents, what will happen to the refugees who seek protection of the US military in Iran and Afghanistan?
pedestrian on June 16, 2009 at 3:43 PM
We’ll see if this Barack policy has an expiration date when huge numbers of Americans come to protest election results here or to protest any potential issue(s).
To bad he doesn’t have the same respect for his own country when it comes to sovereignty and other nations meddling in our affairs.
Universal principles? As in, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights? The UN sets our foreign policy?
Speakup on June 16, 2009 at 3:45 PM
Iran is not a serious threat to spreading the wealth to all 57 states.
WordsMatter on June 16, 2009 at 3:46 PM
I think I like this guy, whoever he is!
UltimateBob on June 16, 2009 at 3:49 PM
What an empty suit.
RobCon on June 16, 2009 at 3:50 PM
I think the question’s that need to be asked are WWGWBD (What Would George W Bush Do) and WWSPD (What would Sara Palin Do)?
Dreadnought223 on June 16, 2009 at 3:50 PM
Do they serve waffles in Iran?
BobMbx on June 16, 2009 at 3:50 PM
He’s now known as a “cleric arrested for inciting anti-revolutionary activity”".
BobMbx on June 16, 2009 at 3:51 PM
Offer to send Uday and Qusay into Tehran to “crack some heads” Baathist style? Just a guess.
Bet the Iranian students right now are pretty glad that 1/3 of the ‘Axis of Evil’ is nowhere in sight.
Except we are still stuck with the author of the phrase. Doesn’t seem fair…
Branch Rickey on June 16, 2009 at 3:52 PM
While it’s probably great that there are demonstrations, isn’t Mousavi just more of the same? My understanding is that all candidates were prescreened by the mullahs, so isn’t this a little of “six or a half dozen” in the long run?
Exactly why are we getting our pantyhose in a rumple over which one of these thugs is elected.. other than it was obviously rigged to begin with?
marybel on June 16, 2009 at 3:54 PM
He directs his fanatics to “get in the face” of voters here in the US but can’t even say “boo” to the tyrants in Iran. Maybe someone should tell him he’s campaigning for president of Iran. That might get him to fire up his Bill Ayers/Acorn/Marxist machine and turn it loose on the mullahs.
Of course, that would never happen – we all know President Mega-Christ is only interested in destroying capitalist democracies, not totalitarian regimes.
Django on June 16, 2009 at 3:54 PM
Obamas taking notes, with the National guard and his civilian army he can quell any revolution.
DougDavis on June 16, 2009 at 3:55 PM
What do you think those billions earmarked for ACORN are going to buy?
If that much cash is funneled to organizations to spend which have a chronic history of instigating vote fraud, imagine what COULD happen?
wildcat84 on June 16, 2009 at 3:57 PM
…and that is not counting his character flaws…
right2bright on June 16, 2009 at 4:01 PM
Grossly immature White House.
So telling North Korea in the morning that they have no right to nuclear and we are going to de-nuclearize North Korea with strong inspection sanctions, ……..
but in the afternoon, it is ok for Iran to have ‘nuclear power’, but we should not meddle in their politics given our previous history with them.
Chicken.
Starlink on June 16, 2009 at 4:02 PM
Change_for_Iran is tweeting that “they are hiding the bodies of those we lost.” What was Steyn’s line about Darfur? “Deep concern, grave concern, deep concern over the graves and deep grave concern over whether the graves were deep enough.”
Jobius on June 16, 2009 at 4:03 PM
If Jimmy Carter see all the good in Hamas, surely this president can embrace Iran.
Name of Obama’s next book: Iran, I ran
Iran I ran
as fast as I can
I am a fan of Iran
I am
Why can’t it be just I ran
not Iran
When I ran, and won
that was fun
Iran is not fun
He won, I won we had fun
He ran, I ran
I am like Iran
Don’t like it? I won
right2bright on June 16, 2009 at 4:09 PM
“Something has happened in Iran.”
I feel so much better now.Thank you soooooo much Messiah.
DDT on June 16, 2009 at 4:12 PM
Oops,I forgot to add——Dumb Fuc*.
DDT on June 16, 2009 at 4:14 PM
Those are some strong adjectives
ballz2wallz on June 16, 2009 at 4:16 PM
I’m sure Obama has never lived in a house with a fence around it. It would have made his life too difficult always straddling it instead of deciding which side of it he wanted to be on.
Socratease on June 16, 2009 at 4:18 PM
LOL
RushBaby on June 16, 2009 at 4:19 PM
Jimmy Carter does not like green eggs and ham, Jimmy Carter says he prefers Spam.
Jeff from WI on June 16, 2009 at 4:19 PM
Personally I feel sooo much better having a president who thinks things through before making a decision the rest of us could make in an hour.
In my house everything bad is now called obama…As in “someone needs to take out the obama” or “the dog crapped all over the back yard, tell one of the kids to go pick up the obamas”
Locrian on June 16, 2009 at 4:26 PM
As I mentioned yesterday Obama would start yapping after poll testing and triangulating to find out what his views should be. I guess the results indicated that he should/could have an opinion, however feeble.
patrick neid on June 16, 2009 at 4:31 PM
Slow news day. OTH, I hear Big MO will thrill us later with some south lawn bicep toning exercises.
BobMbx on June 16, 2009 at 4:47 PM
Crying in his coffin.
Thank you, I’ll be here all the week.
Try the veal.
RedNewEnglander on June 16, 2009 at 4:49 PM
That clip looked to me like someone (Soros/Axelrod) was typing the annswer on TOTUS and president Lovemama was reading the answer one word at a time.
This clip should be played every time his minnions put forth the idea that he is the smartest, most articulate speaker ever.
In the mean time he is encouraging president Amadingdong to continue his Anti civilization antics.
Amazed on June 16, 2009 at 4:50 PM
Though the TOTUS, eunuch in chief, has been pretty tongue-tied on Iran.
Schadenfreude on June 16, 2009 at 4:56 PM
I’m wondering which Czar dropped the ball?
kirkill on June 16, 2009 at 5:17 PM
If all the protesters in Iran, say they are part of AlQueda, Obama can whip up an executive order, and send them to Bermuda. Meanwhile, the abortion doctor killer is probably being water boarded by Michelle, as we speak.
luvstotango on June 16, 2009 at 5:18 PM
Rigged elections – something Obama is quite familiar with. He applauds the fine work the mullahs have done to reinstall their puppet, and has sent his minions to Iran to learn some new methods.
maryo on June 16, 2009 at 5:22 PM
Funny you didn’t seem to be so concerned about this “tiny” country back during your campaign when everyone on the other side of the isle had already recognized a real problem.
Only 6 months late to the party isn’t bad, right?
Well, I’m sure in the end all your nice talk with those dictators will bring all those dead protestes back to life.
Scrappy on June 16, 2009 at 5:22 PM
Wow! Barry’s really getting pissed now. Next thing you know, he’ll be ‘irritated’.
GarandFan on June 16, 2009 at 6:02 PM
After irratated, comes vexed.
Jeff from WI on June 16, 2009 at 6:48 PM
The Czar Of Hiding Rigged Elections, ACORN Chapter
Jeff from WI on June 16, 2009 at 6:49 PM
“That is not how…. uhhhhhhh…. governments should interact with their people.”
He’s so f’n brilliant!
noworldcitizen on June 16, 2009 at 7:04 PM
Send in the paraACORNS to canvas the country and then have the Black Panthers hold the battle space.
Once that is done we will move in with AmeriCorps and begin full-fledged community organization!!!
jcrue on June 16, 2009 at 7:25 PM
He would be sing that old Beach Boy song… Bomb,bomb,bomb, bomb bomb Iran… Bomb,bomb,bomb, bomb bomb Iran… Bomb,bomb,bomb, bomb bomb Iran… Oh bomb Iran-an-an…
doriangrey on June 16, 2009 at 7:52 PM
“One more day of brutal crackdowns and he’ll be at the dreaded “grave doubts” stage.”
You go to far, Allahpundit. He hasn’t even gone through the ‘worried’ phase yet. And being a big fan of the UN, he’ll probably have to send six or seven letters expressing his concern before he has those ‘grave doubts’ you mentioned.
Quit jumping the gun.
Kevin M on June 16, 2009 at 11:49 PM
+100! Thread winner!
theCork on June 17, 2009 at 1:44 AM
Obama has seized the census, handed at least part of the census to ACORN and Democrats have pushed for H J Res 5 to overturn the 22nd Amendment, how is Obama going to call for free and open elections anywhere when free and open elections are DOOMED in the U.S.?
nelsonknows on June 17, 2009 at 2:32 AM
Comment pages: « Previous 1 2