BREAKING: Obama is "strongly condemning" violence against Iranian demonstrators

[derby378]

Carried live on MSNBC - no AP/Reuters link yet.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22886841#22886841

[Don Caballero]

1. I am so happy we have him as President

Especially in instances like this. He is awesome.

[Thickasabrick]

2. That is wonderful but I wish he would comment on the 8 shoolchildren we

just killed in Afghanistan.

[Nikki Stone1]

3. CIA was given funds for regime change in Iran

In February of 2006, the Guardian reported that the Bush administration received “a seven-fold increase in funding to mount the biggest ever propaganda campaign against the Tehran government,” and quoted Secretary Rice as saying, “we will work to support the aspirations of the Iranian people for freedom and democracy in their country.” The “US is to increase funds to Iranian non-governmental bodies that promote democracy, human rights and trade unionism,” which started in 2005 for the first time since 1980, and that, “the US would seek to help build new dissident networks.”

Ewen MacAskill and Julian Borger, Bush plans huge propaganda campaign in Iran. The Guardian: February 16, 2006: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/feb/16/usnews.iran


In April of 2006, the Financial Times reported that, “The US and UK are working on a strategy to promote democratic change in Iran,” as “Democracy promotion is a rubric to get the Europeans behind a more robust policy without calling it regime change.” Christian Science Monitor reported that the goal of the strategy was “regime change from within,” in the form of “a pro-democracy revolution.”

Guy Dinmore, US and UK develop democracy strategy for Iran. The Financial Times: April 21, 2006: http://us.ft.com/ftgateway/superpage.ft?news_id=fto042120061741075322&page=1



Howard LaFranchi, A bid to foment democracy in Iran. Christian Science Monitor: February 17, 2006: http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0217/p03s03-usfp.html



In July of 2007, it was reported that the White House had “shifted back in favour of military action,” at the insistence of Cheney.<58> Josh Bolton, former US Ambassador to the United Nations, said in May of 2007, that US strategy consisted of three options: the first was economic sanctions, the second was regime change, and the third was military action. Bolton elaborated that, “we've got to go with regime change by bolstering opposition groups and the like, because that's the circumstance most likely for an Iranian government to decide that it's safer not to pursue nuclear weapons than to continue to do so. And if all else fails, if the choice is between a nuclear-capable Iran and the use of force, then I think we need to look at the use of force.” Ultimately, the aim would be “to foment a popular revolution.”

Ewen MacAskill, Cheney pushes Bush to act on Iran. The Guardian: July 16, 2007: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/jul/16/usa.iran


Toby Harnden, We must attack Iran before it gets the bomb. The Telegraph: May 16, 2007: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1551726/We-must-attack-Iran-before-it-gets-the-bomb.html