Quote of the day
posted at 10:50 pm on June 18, 2009 by Allahpundit
“Of all our foreign-policy failures in my lifetime, our current shunning of those demanding free elections and expanded civil rights in Iran reminds me most of Hungary in 1956.
For years, we encouraged the Hungarians to rise up against oppression. When they did, we watched from the sidelines as Russian tanks drove over them.
For decades, Washington policymakers from both parties have prodded Iranians to throw off their shackles. Last Friday, millions of Iranians stood up. And we’re standing down.
That isn’t diplomacy. It’s treachery…
Now our president’s attempt to vote “present” yet again green-lights the Iranian regime’s determination to face down the demonstrators — and the mullahs understand it as such.
If we see greater violence in Tehran, the blood of those freedom marchers will be on our president’s hands.”
Blowback
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His verbal powers of persuasion are for his natural allies (libs, blacks, dictators, thugs). For those who oppose him, his “persuasion” takes a different tact. This freak plays his friends and bludgeons his enemies.
JiangxiDad on June 19, 2009 at 7:15 AM
With this Egomaniac Socialist in charge, it is now very dangerous to be an ally of the United States.
kingsjester on June 19, 2009 at 7:24 AM
Bush didn’t lie about anything. Saddam had WMDs, and he supported al-qaeda. Clinton said those same things..you believed him, but when bush repeated it, you say he lied. truth is your libs are the liars, always have been, always will be.
no surprise people like you support saddam, ahmadinajad, chavez, castro and every other murderous, lying dictator around…they’re your heroes…
right4life on June 19, 2009 at 7:27 AM
Those hostages you mentioned. Their GoreBots, and they are in a good place.
Kini on June 19, 2009 at 12:30 AM
No matter what your politics, they are Americans and it is our duty to go get them.Of course I don`t see that happening, but I feel for them and their familys.
LSUMama on June 19, 2009 at 7:28 AM
stalin signed the non-agression pact to start WWII..he agreed to split up poland with Hitler…
right4life on June 19, 2009 at 7:30 AM
Iraq the first time was the biggest blunder…mr. powell.
tomas on June 19, 2009 at 7:34 AM
You really think Obama doesn’t like the status of the mideast’s Muslim dictators?
tarpon on June 19, 2009 at 7:39 AM
More proof that O’Reilly is one of the dumbest people on TV….
Ann NY on June 19, 2009 at 7:43 AM
It’s really quite fitting that our worst President, probably ever – but at least since Carter – is repeating the same mistakes of Carter in reverse. Carter’s withdraw of support of the Shah got us here today and Obama’s jaw dropping incompetence is going to have far reaching ramifications.
Ann NY on June 19, 2009 at 7:49 AM
Well , Powell doubled down.
the_nile on June 19, 2009 at 7:54 AM
He was told over and over again he would be tested during the first few months. He knew what countries would give him trouble. He has inside information we don’t have and yet he seems to be acting out of fear and ignorance(or something more insidious) rather than taking a stand for what is just. If he can’t even do a no brainer like send a word of support to the protesters who are being killed and maimed for the sake of freedom, what in heavens name will his response to the North Koreans be? Will he vote present as Boston or some other city is wiped off the map by a rogue suitcase nuke?
Treachery is an understatement.
Miss Molly on June 19, 2009 at 7:55 AM
Suitcase nukes don’t exist.
Ann NY on June 19, 2009 at 8:08 AM
America elected a fashionable president. If we continue this trend with Hillary as the first woman, some unknown as the first Gay…..the end should come right about the time of the first pedophile, if we even last that long.
Hening on June 19, 2009 at 8:10 AM
the problem was the encouragement (and the actual promise of help through the cia-run radio free europe during the uprising), not the non-intervention.
why would anyone in their right minds listen to a nutcase who’d start a nuclear war over a country of 10 million?
sesquipedalian on June 19, 2009 at 8:29 AM
Unlike the idiotic whine-fests our doped up, dopey leftists stage in this country, where they claim they are being oppressed, the Iranian people are putting it all on the line. Their lives, the lives of their families.
And what can our leading leftist and his little drooling leftist lemmings do here to support them?
Sit on their hands and mumble about “even-handedness”.
Just another exhibit of the moral and intellectually bankruptcy of western leftism.
NoDonkey on June 19, 2009 at 8:34 AM
Has Barney Frank announced his candidacy?
NoDonkey on June 19, 2009 at 8:35 AM
Actually, you’ve got that backwards. Carter demanded reforms of Iran that were just enough to let the dissidents organize themselves for overthrowing the Shah. When in exile, it was the fact that Carter allowed the Shah into the country for medical treatment of his pancreatic cancer that caused the American Embassy to be taken (they wanted Carter to extradite the Shah back to Iran for trial). Carter’s big mistake was not withdrawing support for the Shah but, rather, being so focused on “human rights abuses” that he failed to see the context of what was going on until it was too late to prevent a foreign affairs debacle.
I see much the same thing with the filthy liar in the White House. He’s so focused on preening himself in front of the camera and making vague “presidential” comments that he’s essentially abandoning those protestors to the forces of the Iranian regime.
Put another way, Obama is ignoring the actions of the Mullahs’ as a professional courtesy from one street thug to another.
highhopes on June 19, 2009 at 8:36 AM
After Hungary 56 the next treachery was after the first Gulf War when we asked the Basra Shiites to rise up against Sadaam which they did, and then we allowed Sadaam’s helicopters to wipe out tens of thousands of the protesters. However the present situation isn’t a plague on both houses of government, it is Obama and his democrap allies who have knifed the protesters in the back. The republicans have no culpability and in fact are demanding Obama and Hillary support the protesters and democracy in Iraq.
eaglewingz08 on June 19, 2009 at 9:06 AM
His verbal powers of persuasion are for his natural allies (libs, blacks, dictators, thugs). For those who oppose him, his “persuasion” takes a different tact. This freak plays his friends and bludgeons his enemies.
JiangxiDad on June 19, 2009
Replace “tact” with “tack” (change of course) and I agree completely. Also, I assume you were lumping unions in with the thugs, unless you believe the unions are more tools than allies.
SKYFOX on June 19, 2009 at 9:19 AM
After a Little Reflection
Aren’t the Iranian “protestors” the same bunch of clowns, who not too long ago were marching and chanting “DEATH TO AMERICA” and “AMERICA IS THE GREAT SATAN” ?
And now, there are some who have come to believe that we should come to their aid, in the name of “Democracy.”
Well, I have some news for you.
It’s pretty apparent, Persians are, and always have been, a pack of weasels, who will bite the hand that feeds them… And, their leadership didn’t materialize out of thin air.
They want Freedom & Democracy?… They’re gonna’ have to do more than “March in the Streets” if they want MY respect… They’re gonna’ have to “Sacrifice” a whole lot more than seven – count ‘em SEVEN lives… They ain’t no different than the c*cks*ckin’ Liberals with Big Mouths, Small Ideas, and No Guts, in THIS country who do it… And, why would we want to stick our nose in a “No Win” situation?
They’re on their own… We fought for our freedoms… They can fight for theirs.
franksalterego on June 19, 2009 at 10:02 AM
Of course, our freedom fight only came about by assistance from the French. But let’s ignore that inconvenient fact.
highhopes on June 19, 2009 at 10:21 AM
“Now our president’s attempt to vote “present” yet again”
And here we have the core of the problem. Our president is refusing to take responsibility for ANYTHING.
davo on June 19, 2009 at 11:10 AM
Waaaaaaaaaitwaitwait.
Cheering Mousavi supporters on is now to be interpreted as ‘freedom from oppression‘?
I’ve stayed quiet on these threads for the last few days but this really is getting ridiculous.
The only perk I can see coming from this, in a Machiavellian sort of way, is the civil discord (or worse) will set back any Iranian nuclear ambitions for some time. And, perhaps, out of the anarchy, something better than either Mousavi or Ahmadinejad can arise..
Reaps on June 19, 2009 at 11:17 AM
That being said..
Not necessarily. I’ll concede right now that I don’t know enough to tar every Iranian with the same brush like that. One must also wonder how many of those protests were of the North Korean ‘show-some-more-fervour-or-off-to-the-reeducation-camp-with-ye’ style.
I don’t really recall any deaths in the States during all of the anti-war/bush/whathaveyou protests over the last few years, so..
I get your point for the most part, but that’s a pretty rough way of getting it across. But to each their own..
Reaps on June 19, 2009 at 11:23 AM
The French were hardly in a “No Win” situation, were they.
It seems to me, entitlement notwithstanding, that Freedom & Democracy is a concept hard won.
And, if you’re not willing to fight to get it, you prob’ly wouldn’t fight to keep it.
franksalterego on June 19, 2009 at 11:28 AM
One more, then off to bed..
Flicking through..:
BBC: Iranian protests
CNN: Iranian protests
FNC: Well, they’re not talking about Aruba at least, but let’s just say ‘not Iranian protests’
Disappointing really.
Anyhoo, ‘nightnight. Enjoy your weekend!
Reaps on June 19, 2009 at 11:32 AM
If we get Sarah Palin as the first woman President, she’ll follow in the footsteps of the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher.
Steve Z on June 19, 2009 at 12:04 PM
Some of the young people arrested in the Hungarian revolution were old men before they were released from prison. How they suffered
When they said Bush acted because of oil, perhaps that also may be said of Obama
Obama does not have to support any rebellion. He ought to support yearnings to be free.
If he did that, he could not kiss up to Chavez, or Castro, or the various leftist tyrants
He is still waiting to see which side will win before choosing his side. Then he will declare absolute support for the people
entagor on June 19, 2009 at 3:39 PM
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