Mr. President, how about Iran?

[RememberWellstone]

I so another short piece on CNN about the situation in Iran. Should'nt we be doing more to help the freedom protestors over there? I see so many young people believing in a cause, reminds of all the volunteers during this year's campaign.

[babylonsister]

1. What do you think we should do? nt

[RememberWellstone]

17. No idea

But like the reporter said, it is hard to watch these college students lay bleeding in the streets over the oppressive government.

[Political Tiger]

25. Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran? ;)

[FrenchieCat]

2. They are the ones that they are waiting for.....

not those who fucked up any chance for democracy in that country long ago.

The reason that the number of freedom protestors are growing is exactly because
we are staying the hell out of it, for once.

[RememberWellstone]

7. I don't know FC

But it is disheartening to watch these people die in the streets for a cause that resembles ours? I have no idea, it just pains me to see history unraveling and should we play a part in it?

[FrenchieCat]

10. I didn't see any Iranians run up and try to help us with our electoral problems

and so I think that respecting a country by not getting all in their business
is probably more helpful to even the protestors. That's my take.

[RememberWellstone]

13. Moral support?

Maybe? No way there should be any type of war/military solution but maybe if let them see we stand with them in their revolt for freedom?

[FrenchieCat]

21. Yeah....let's go the propaganda route,

In reality, there is progress going on there...
but what you are getting wrong is that this is definetly their movement, not ours.

[MADem]

3. We need to keep leaving them ALONE. The last time we "meddled" it created conditions

that led to a revolution in 1979. I knew a few people who died in that violence.

The people in the streets are not without leadership. Not by a long shot. They don't need to be pumped up by foreigners.

Iranians with educations have a real world view, but make no mistake, the average Iranian is also very patriotic and nationalistic. They have a long and rich history. They may take issue with their government and leadership, but they love their country and know what their (impressive and ancient) background is all about.

They don't need exhortations from others to keep their motivation up.

[RememberWellstone]

8. I hate wars

And I hate people dying for freedom causes with no results.

[Occam Bandage]

22. We've never been at war with Iran. We did, however,

once clandestinely "support the Iranian people" to remove an anti-Western government and replace it with a pro-Western absolute monarchy. The Iranian people are still just a mite bit touchy about that. The worst thing we could do is even provide the suggestion that this is anything like the 1953 coup.

[MADem]

28. What do you mean, no result? Do you think Rafsanjani has his thumb up his ass?

I bet on snow white *The Shark*--as in the guy in the white turban. Not the phony thief-pretender in the black one.

Rafsanjani defies Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as protesters turn out in force

Tens of thousands of Iranians flooded the streets of Tehran yesterday to hear the country’s most influential powerbroker pronounce the Islamic Republic in crisis and as he called for the release of those arrested in recent pro-democracy demonstrations.

In a devastating attack on the regime, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a leading cleric and former President, told a crowd at Tehran University that the Government had lost the people’s trust. Referring to the handling of last month’s disputed election, which President Ahmadinejad claims to have won, he said that the custodians of the Islamic Revolution had undermined its basic principles.

Hojatoleslam Rafsanjani condemned the brutal suppression of protests and called for the release of those detained during the post-election crackdown. The crowd acclaimed his address by chanting: “Death to the dictator” and “Leaders, give us arms”.

Police and pro-government Basij militiamen responded by firing teargas and using truncheons to break up the crowd, the largest street gathering in weeks. Mehdi Karoubi, one of the presidential candidates who claims that his votes were stolen last month, was assaulted by plainclothes militia. ....
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6717745.ece

The Iranian propaganda arm, "Press TV" is completely mischaracterizing Rafsanjani's comments as a "unity" speech. It was not that, not by a long shot.

[Captain Hilts]

4. No, we shouldn't help them. It's best to let them do it themselves. We'd only taint the process.nt

[Hutzpa]

5. No. n/t

[PolNewf]

6. So dumb

The US "helping" in Iran would be as effective as the devil himself helping democrats win over evangelicals.

[RememberWellstone]

11. This is different

I don't think a military solution should ever be used, I think we might need to give them moral support if anything?

[Occam Bandage]

15. They don't want our moral support.

They want us to shut the fuck up and leave them the fuck alone. Now, the hardliners, they would fucking love it if we were to publicly back the protesters, because their argument this whole time has been that the protesters are tools of American and British aggression.

[RememberWellstone]

20. I agree

They would use it as an excuse to perputrate yet another war.

But, there must be a peaceful choice to help those wanting freedom from their government.

[Occam Bandage]

23. There's no way Obama can help them publicly. Anything he would say would hurt their cause.

There are many things he can do in the backroom channels, but negotiating with a foreign government with the end goal of destabilizing that same government, with both parties aware of this goal, is by no means a simple task.

[PolNewf]

24. I wasn't even considering war just "moral support"

You do realize that the US is literally referred to as Satan by Iranian conservatives right?

You want to do something that will make you feel better but it wouldn't help the Iranians.

[Xipe Totec]

9. Madness n/t

[Occam Bandage]

12. God, you're dumb.

Yes, America should definitely attempt to interfere with Iranian politics, maybe even to the extent of toppling a regime, as a result of election results we don't like. That worked so fucking well last time we did it.

[RememberWellstone]

14. Not dumb...caring

Caring when people die wanting freedom from their oppressors is never dumb except to rightwing fascist. We just got rid of them in an election, remember?:eyes:

[Occam Bandage]

18. The road to hell is paved with...what was that proverb again? Oh, right.

The absolute worst thing that could happen to the protesters is if the President of the United States were to publicly back them.

[jwirr]

26. What makes you think we do not care? There is nothing that we can

do openly that will not hurt them more than it helps them. We care enough to understand the danger we put them in!

[DCBob]

16. This is the Iranian's revolution.

We would just fuck it up.

[Cali_Democrat]

19. No. Fucking. Way.

We need to stop sticking our noses in other countries' business. It's already coming back to bite us big time.

If another country had their troops on our soil or was otherwise screwing with our country, I'm sure most Americans would be pretty pissed off.

[CakeGrrl]

27. No. The U.S. has interceded in the Middle East to bad ends, and shouldn't

do it again.

But by all means, let's pile on another issue to add to the list of things the President isn't doing right away or well enough!

:sarcasm:

[Buzz Clik]

29. No. Either we interfere all over the globe (a al Bush) or we interfere no place.