26 years after the attack on the Marine barracks in Beirut, families are stymied again in their attempts for restitution, this time by the Obama administration that is going to court to try to block payments from Iranian assets that the families’ lawy…

Don`t panic people, DON`T PANIC!

I`m sure as we speak, he`s preparing another “I`m o.k., you`re o.k.” video for them to watch.

ThePrez on November 9, 2009 at 3:03 PM

His speech sounded like he was talking into the end of a sewer pipe, today!

What an embarassement Dear Leader has turned out to be. I knew it would be bad…but he seems to be one of the worst presidents since Jimmy the Peanut Farmer.

nyx on November 9, 2009 at 9:27 AM

And he was supposed to be an improvement over George Bush!!!! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, !!!!!!

I`m sure as we speak, he`s preparing another “I`m o.k., you`re o.k.” video for them to watch.

Baxter Greene on November 9, 2009 at 12:50 PM

I disagree. The general public, particularly outside of the US, is oblivious to Iran’s connection to terrorism, Hizballah, HAMAS, their utter hatred for Israel, “death to America” chants, their attempts at hegemony over the Middle East, their relentless attempts to export their dear Islamic Revolution worldwide, their involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan that is killing coalition soldiers, their flirtation with al-Qaeda before 9/11 and probably after, etc.

They don’t even know that Ahmadi-Nejad is only a mouthpiece and that the real decision maker in regards to the nuclear issue is Khameni.

So yes, all these public moves by Obama are necessary. You and me, who follow events closely, know what Iran is up to. So do all the European intelligence agencies, who are more hawkish on Iran than the CIA, by the way. There are people who are oblivious about Iran, and there are those who aren’t, yet think talking first is the better approach. Now they see that the only yield from this approach (which they believe can only be in good faith if Obama is the one doing the outreach) is more uranium.

The path is clear for the inevitable but unfortunately necessary confrontation. And China and Russia have less and less excuses to stand in the way.

“they had now all but lost hope that Iran would follow through with an agreement reached in Geneva on Oct. 1 to send its fuel out of the country temporarily”-NYT

Lie. There was no “agreement”:

“Iran agreed in principle yesterday to export much of its stock of enriched uranium for processing and to open its newly revealed enrichment plant to UN inspections within a fortnight…Western officials cautioned that the preliminary agreements could unravel in negotiations over the details.”
The Guardian (London) – Final Edition
October 2, 2009 Friday
Julian Borger, Geneva
SECTION: GUARDIAN INTERNATIONAL PAGES; Pg. 21

There was no final agreement – the details had yet to be discussed. Iran made it very clear that there was no deal. So the details were this – the West wanted Iran to send out the majority of its enriched uranium, with a “promise” that it would be replaced by highly enriched uranium at a future date. This, after being screwed repeatedly on similar deals in the past, such as Eurodif. Imagine getting ripped off by a car dealer, then you go back there, and they insist that you pay for a car in full, and that they will deliver the car sometime in the future. What a joke.

So Iran wants to send it batchwise. Send a little, get back the enriched material, send a little more. Very reasonable. The West rejects this, and they spin it by saying that Iran rejected the initial deal. Propaganda.

by Obama (the new “honest” broker, messiah, etc.), and fail, before they can believe that their governments are doing the right thing with sanctions and military actions.

AlexB on November 9, 2009 at 11:07 AM

Your point seems to assume the general public is to stupid to know how dangerous Iran is.

Watching Obama make a fool out of himself is not going to endear the public to him or the strategy of stopping Iran.

It actually reduces Obama’s standing in the international community and reduces his standing with the general public.

The world does not need anymore confirmation that Iran is a major terrorist supporter and is on the brink of obtaining weapons that can kill millions of people.

We are to a point where serious action needs to be taken and Obama’s naive appeasement is doing nothing but providing Iran with more time and cover.

“Appearances” to the international community are going to mean squat when Iran hands off a nuclear device to Hamas/Hezbollah/Taliban/al-qaeda.

Sanctions have already been proven over and over and over to be an absolute failure.

Worrying about people’s “feelings” and “appearances” should be pretty low on the list when dealing with such a dangerous problem.

It is a truly infantile notion to believe that Russia and China want to help defuse these sorts of situations. The facts simply don’t support this sort of wishful thinking.

Absolutely 100% correct and an informative post.
Thanks.

Oh wait…that function is reserved soley for US citizens. What I meant to say was “Hey Iran…wanna come over for Thanksgiving Dinner?”

Lest the administration inflame relations, they deemed it best to sit on their collective hands, move to the back of the diplomatic bus and speak softly.

If Present Obama was not motivated to speak out in support of Iranians standing up against tyrants and taking their lives in their hands, it is false hope to think Present Obama will be motivated to do much of anything here besides reacting to situations as they unfold.

Baxter Greene on November 9, 2009 at 10:56 AM

Your analysis is dead on. China wants this sort of tension because it helps rope America down and box us into difficult situations.

It is a truly infantile notion to believe that Russia and China want to help defuse these sorts of situations. The facts simply don’t support this sort of wishful thinking.

China continues to provided an array of banned dual use technologies to the worst of the worse, including Iran. In fact within the last couple of years, the PRC was caught red handed providing WMDs to Iran.

The components were said to have included dual-use missile components, raw materials, and expertise to Iran’s solid-fuel missile program. Officials said Beijing has also supplied dual-use chemical weapons-related production equipment and technology to Iran.

Meanwhile, Russia has been the largest supplier of advanced military systems to Iran, including a

high-speed torpedo—similar to the Russian-made VA-111 Shkval—capable of destroying large warships or submarines. Iran already fields China’s Silkworm anti-shipping missile and an array of mine technologies.

Stratfor has documented the sale of one of the most advanced early warning radar and missile systems in the Russian arsenal.

Plus, Russia is a MAJOR global oil exporter and one of the largest non middle eastern exporters. A middle eastern conflict is good for the Russian pocketbook, it enhances their diplomatic leverage against Europe and US and can help cash flow the domestic economy.

These are mere children who believe Chinese and Russian interests are aligned with ours. If fact, their interests are, in this specific issue, strudently opposed to ours.

They want to see Present Obama twist in the wind and deminish American standing. Unfortunately, the current administration is all to willing to ablidge.

But we must make sure
There are no Preconditions…
Couldn’t have that… Right?

“To sit back hoping that someday, some way, someone will make things right is to go on feeding the crocodile, hoping he will eat you last – but eat you he will. “

Baxter Greene on November 9, 2009 at 10:56 AM

The point is that there is PUBLIC support for anti Iranian measures. Government officials from all countries know exactly what Iran is up to. But their respective publics need to see these diplomatic gestures, by Obama (the new “honest” broker, messiah, etc.), and fail, before they can believe that their governments are doing the right thing with sanctions and military actions.

Ed, I don’t like this “I told you so” attitude. Yes, it was obvious to anyone that Iranians are just stalling and stalling, but before escalating things and going into dangerous territory with sanctions and even bombings, the world needed to see that even a goodwill gesture by an Obama has failed.

I mean, it will now be easier to create a consensus with Russia and maybe even China,

AlexB on November 9, 2009 at 9:25 AM

You are joking with this right??

The world knows as well as most Americans based in reality that Obama’s policies toward Iran were naive and destined to fail.
“A good will measure” means nothing when dealing with the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world.
Iran arms their proxy armies of Hezbollah and Hamas to commit acts of terror around the world and fight against Israel.
Iran routinely states they will wipe Israel off the map.
Iran supplies arms (such as the deadly IED’s) to al-qaeda/Taliban,trains them for fighting,and is responsible for killing American troops.
Iran is actively pursuing a nuclear bomb that anyone based in reality knows they will use.
…..and you come up with “the world needed to see a good will gesture from Obama before taking action…..give me a f$%king break.

As far as Russia and China supporting sanctions,this is a joke in itself.
Here is what Russia says of Sanctions:
Clinton, Lavrov agree to delay sanctions against Iran
13/10/200914:28
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20091013/156451209-print.html

“Lavrov said Russia is “in principle very reserved on sanctions, as they rarely produce results.”

However, Clinton said that sanctions over North Korea’s nuclear program would remain in place.
“We have absolutely no intention of relaxing or offering to relax North Korean sanctions at this point whatsoever,” she said.

So even if they were to “finally” come to the point of issuing more Sanctions, the Russians state that they rarely produce results anyway.
Clinton goes on to brag about “not relaxing sanctions” on N. Korea.
That’s the way to stick it to them.After all,they have been so effective up to this point…..no wait…..they have been an absolute failure.
N. Korea has turned itself into a nuclear power while sanctions were being dropped on them.
This infatuation with sanctions is a joke.
Sanctions have produced no success what-so-ever in stopping genocidal,terrorist regimes.

…to add to this fairy tale of corporation from China and Russia,the Russians not only provided the materials and built Iran’s nuclear facilities,they are also actively helping them get the bomb:

Israel names Russians helping Iran build nuclear bomb

Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has handed the Kremlin a list of Russian scientists believed by the Israelis to be helping Iran to develop a nuclear warhead. He is said to have delivered the list during a mysterious visit to Moscow.

His office claimed he was in Israel, visiting a secret military establishment at the time. It later emerged that he was holding talks with Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, and President Dmitry Medvedev.
“We have heard that Netanyahu came with a list and concrete evidence showing that Russians are helping the Iranians to develop a bomb,” said a source close to the Russian defence minister last week.

“That is why it was kept secret. The point is not to embarrass Moscow, rather to spur it into action.”

Anyone putting their faith and trust in Russia or China helping stop Iran from getting the bomb is absolutely ignorant of the facts and history of this international emergency.

So just when we need strength and leadership the most in dealing with Iran and it’s quest for the Atom bomb, this is what we get from our Paparazzi President:
Obama Speaks Appeasement to Evildoers 
 [Michael Ledeen]
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MmVmYWVjOGYxOGI0ZWVlNzI4NTNmYjY4MmFkNjNkMzU=

As Michael Rubin notes, there are ongoing demonstrations against the Iranian regime all over the country. It seems clear that the violence from the Revolutionary Guards and Basij is worse than anything to date. The Supreme Leader delivered a verbal beating to President Obama, demanding a full American retreat. And what does our president do? He issues a statement that doesn’t even mention the regime’s savagery, instead mewling and whining, asking for the Iranian regime to make nice. Here he is, in full Carter/Chamberlain mode:

We do not interfere in Iran’s internal affairs. We have condemned terrorist attacks against Iran. We have recognized Iran’s international right to peaceful nuclear power. We have demonstrated our willingness to take confidence-building steps along with others in the international community. We have accepted a proposal by the International Atomic Energy Agency to meet Iran’s request for assistance in meeting the medical needs of its people. We have made clear that if Iran lives up to the obligations that every nation has, it will have a path to a more prosperous and productive relationship with the international community.

In fact, he’s already got it. It always happens when you become an accomplice to evil.

No one….Not one single rouge leader is worried about Obama and his idiotic “smart power” in the least.

Absolutely stuck on stupid!!!!

highhopes on November 9, 2009 at 10:38 AM

Nope. The fall of the Wall is considered one of the crown jewels of the Reagan Administration and is a symbol of the reassertion of American global power after more than a decade of decline. This is not something Present Obama and the Change Posse embrace, in fact, this is an anathema to their world view. Besides, it would invite comparisions to Reagan (We should be seeing a huge media retrospective on the Gipper and Thatcher…ah, but we’re not).

Nope, just gift the diplomatic version of a beta video tape collection from Present Obama to the participating nations….send Hillary

(not even the VP).

POTUSPOS

Mr. Joe on November 9, 2009 at 9:35 AM

Selected comment from Anwar the Hater’s site:

Muslims will not be able to conquer the world because they lack intelligence.

The average Western European IQ is 100. The average Saudi IQ is substantially lower. In the low 80s.

And another:

Dear Sheik Anwar, I hope that one day, as you grow older, you will take pleasure in other people’s happiness as opposed to their pain.

I know this is very hard. War is easy, peace is hard. Hate is easy, love is hard.

I know you think you are fighting for us. But in my eyes, in my family’s eyes (a family who wants to see its children grow strong and happy) you will live in the same hell as W. Bush and Richard Cheney.

And a third one:

May Allah guide you and your unfortunate misled followers. It was truly an act of cowardice and there is no place for cowardice in Islam. I urge you to remove yourself from this website and to stop spreading these devilish ideas.

The opinion by Anwar the Hater is definitely anti-American and worthy of derision.

After that? It’s “unclear” what Obama will do. Obama has “suggested” he’ll return to the tough sanctions that he abandoned to offer an outstretched hand.

What ever it is, it’ll involve many ‘ummms’ and ‘aahhhhs’ sprinkled liberally with loads ‘As I’ve always saids’ and ‘let me clears’.

Load….that sums it all up nicely.