Richard Cohen writes:
Some of Obama’s critics have faulted him for not doing what Ronald Reagan (belatedly) did after the fraudulent election in the Philippines in 1986. After some dithering, Reagan virtually forced President Ferdinand Marcos into exile. How neat. How not a precedent for Iran. … Neither Germany nor France has America’s history in Iran. It was America that staged the 1953 coup that ousted Mohammed Mossadeq and returned the shah to the Peacock Throne. …
The President of Cool seems emotionally disconnected from events in Tehran — not unconcerned but not particularly upset, either.
AdvertisementThis is a quality that will cost Obama plenty in coming years. He can acknowledge your pain, but he cannot feel it.
Iran, the first foreign policy “crisis,” alerts us to what to expect in the future: a tightly controlled message from the White House (anyone heard from Hillary Clinton lately?), a deliberate consideration of the options and no shoot-from-the-hip remarks.
This is how Obama ran his campaign. This is how he’ll run his foreign policy. As McCain should know, it works.
From somebody who was there to Cohen. Too bad Jimmy Carter didn’t get rid of the American lackey like Ronald Reagan did. God knows Jimmy had four years in which to do it. There’s a difference between too cool and too chicken.
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So when Curly, Moe, and Larry wait until events play out and then grandiosely claim all the credit, their cluelessness will be lionized by the media as a “deliberate consideration of the options with no shoot-from-the-hip remarks.”
Why, soitenly, Mr. Cohen! That guy with the bowl cut is Omay, the famous interior decorator! Better believe it because the newspaper says so. And he’s holding up two fingers for victory.
What’s the difference between “allowing people self-determination” and just not caring if they all go to hell?
In actual actions, none.
In WWII George Orwell said that pacifists were objectively pro-fascist, because to take the pacifist approach would mean the fascists would win.
At best Obama is objectively pro-fascist. At worst he does not give a damn. Or maybe it is the other way around. No difference, either way.
Occasionally, Cohen can write as if he’s not staring at shadows on the wall in Plato’s cave. (Hey, where else but BC can you get references to the Three Stooges and Plato in the same comment thread?)
It’s been interesting to watch the Obamapologists, who last week praised his reticence as an ‘unwillingness to meddle’, deal with his recent, more forthright rhetorical flourishes, voting ‘present’, as it were, as things changed on the ground in Teheran.
Assuming the regime prevails (or, in the alternative, if a low-level uprising continues for any length of time) doing any kind of deal with it will look unseemly, and not very hopeychangey.
RWE:
It’s like the difference between ‘engaging with’ and ‘propping up’ a given regime. The description says more about the person saying it than it does about the regime in question. The bears’ beds may or may not have been too hard, too soft, or just right. But it was Goldilocks making the call.
the forces of evil around the world will ramp up their confrontations and obamas “style” will look increasingly and alarmingly like reality avoidance. he locks him self into a meme and declares he will follow it to a desired outcome no matter that the desired outcome will never come, and along the way disaster unfolds making the paid price to high for the experiment.
Here is the thing about the coup ousted Mohammed Mossadeq. The driver for that was not US foreign policy, it was Soviet foreign policy. For 50 years US foreign policy faced many tough choices due to communist attempts to impose totalitarian rule by aggression all over the world.
RWE writes: “In WWII George Orwell said that pacifists were objectively pro-fascist, because to take the pacifist approach would mean the fascists would win.”
Good point. I take some delight in thinking of BHO as objectively fascist.
In his recent press release on Iran, Saturday I think, Obama referenced Martin Luther King, Jr. The philosophies of King in the U.S. and Gandhi in India succeeded in action because both were dealing with cultures of English common law tradition. The British and Americans would crack heads for only so long before their consciences hurt more than the marchers’ cracked heads hurt. Maybe the consciences of Iranians will force change in Iran, but so far the crackers are winning. If there is change, it won’t be because of the objective fascism (wow, this feels really good—everyone should try it!) of OHB.
I suspect most of the State Department deliberation these days centers on making sure that the Fourth of July cookout hot dogs are halal. Somehow I don’t think Hebrew Nationals are on the menu?
Re. Cohen: “This is how Obama ran his campaign. This is how he’ll run his foreign policy. As McCain should know, it works.” But if the election were held today, never mind in three years, the ten percent difference can flip.
The “cool cucumber” of silence.
What about this regime’s rigged elections and vicious mauling of women, shown right on YouTube? The same “outraged” folks who complained about Jeb Bush in Florida or proclaimed feminimism in the USA are now completely silent and as “cool as a cucumber” when it comes to real evil. Or willfully oblivious to the consequences? Or applying a double standard that the rest of the world doesn’t deserve freedom.
His first quarter in office Obananarama quadruples the national debt, and is now on the verge of welcoming an obviously brutal, terrorist-sponsoring goon state to the nuclear weapons club. Is this being as cool as a cucumber? Or just willfully oblivious to consequences, and living in a Jimmy Carter cocoon?
When you open your window at night and listen to the wind, the sound is not just the wind. It’s the aspirations of millions of people, perhaps of billions of people yearning to be free– living, breathing aspirations. Sometimes the wind fades, and sometimes it howls, but it’s always there, the aggregate inhalation/exhalation of all who live and yearn to be free.
Can Obananarama and the rest feel the weather, or are they living in the Jimmy Carter cocoon?
And had Jimmy Carter acted early to “get rid of the lackey” as you put it, it’s likely the Shah’s son would have reigned, that there would have been a liberal parliamentary regime in Tehran with Shahpur Bakhtiar or somebody similar as Prime Minister; or else a liberal republic, probably no Iran-Iraq war. . .the mind boggles.
Buraq is just soooo cool! sooo dreamy too!
If Buraq is so cool and detached, why is he inviting the Iranian Regime diplomats to his White House Fourth of July picnic? Sends one hell of message – as if to say – don’t worry Regime we’ll be dutifully and respectfully sucking up to you after all this little trifling incident of murdering hundreds in the streets settles down.
I love the symbolism too – celebrate our Independence Day by hosting thugs who are denying their own people their freedom and independence from Tyranny. Way to go Buraq!
#4 Vinny:
As I have said before, in terms of South Africa, the Reagan Admin policy of “constructive engagemant” was evil. Somehow now, with the far more evil regime in Tehran, it’s fine business.
And we all know why that is, don’t we? It is the same reason that Opra says that it is Okay for blacks to use the N Word when referring to one another but not for any other race to do so.
#6 Buck Smith. Too right! Everyone forgets that the thing called the USSR existed and colored our foreign policy by necessity.
And speaking of the USSR, I am “shocked, shocked” that the MSM has not mentioned G.H.W. Bush’s multiple forceful condemnations of the hard liner’s coup attempt in August of 1991. Those people had thousands of nukes pointed at us and he still was not afraid to denounce the anti-democratic forces there. The Russians count those statements of support as being very useful to their cause. In fact, did not Pres Bush explicitly say that the USA would NOT negotiate with anyone but the dully elected government?
Buck:
Good point, one which is always MIA when discussions of 1953 come up.
RWE:
Yes, I had South Africa in mind, specifically, when I commented. Maybe it’s me or it’s in the air, but the Left’s double standards seem even more glaring just now, almost in direct proportion to their inability to see or acknowledge them.
Back to Goldilocks, I’ve often asked people about their attitudes toward specific regimes as an almost-too-predictable method of assessing their politics. Until recently, I always ended with China. As its major customer and large direct investor (and now debtor), have we engaged or enabled (or propped up, after 1978′s opening of trade) one of history’s most murderous regimes, one now assuming the shape of a 1930′s nationalist-corporatist state?
Team 44 claims credit for inciting the protests via the Cairo speech AND invites the regime to an Independence day celebration in the same day. All things to all people. I wonder if they considered inviting the North Koreans to an Independence Day party in Hawaii?
Cairo speech inspired uprising
Now, now people. Obama is just following the teachings of Jesus here. Let ye who has committed no sin (of rigging elections) cast the first stone. (Did I mangle the quote?)
Far be it from the Won to criticize others for such a trivial sin.
When is someone going to kill this ridiculous Mossadeqh theme, this absurd misreading of history? He was neither a democrat nor directly elected; he had forced the young Shah out of power, who had been put in power as a replacement for his Axis-loving predecessor; Mossadeqh was blatantly anti-USA and -UK, and therefore pro-Soviet by default. The idea that Iran was some kind of incipient bourgeois democracy epitomized by Mossadeqh and wrecked by the Imperialist USA and UK is absolutely f—ing absurd. By the way, who forced out the Soviets in 1946?
It’s like the Soviet Union never existed. Mossadeqh was the heir to and spoiled brat of the last imperial dynasty of Iran. This obvoius socialist misreading of history has been doing positive harm to the people of Iran for long enough. BASTA.
vinny vidivici,
Moe, Larry, Curly and Shemp were Fine philosophers. Well Larry was a Fine but Moe, Curly and Shemp were Howard philosophers, which beats Harvard any day. Curly Joe was middling but Joe Besser just plain scared me.
The baby boomer left are counting on China to help hold down their health care costs. Need a kidney on short notice? Special orders are no problem. In 20 years the trade may well flow in the other direction. The narcissists of the American left simply refuse to see reality. Why do they still think the world will serve their interests once they have have turned over power to the thugs? These idiots will deliver their own grandchildren to be the body parts farm for China.
Lets just stand back and let the Iranian people decide their future.
We wait and deal with whose left standing.
^ yeah, I just hope whoever is left standing will have some settlements or something equally important that we could lecture them about…that would be cool.
Lifeofthemind: What grandchilderen?
#15 is right on target. I urge all Clubbers to take the time and money to read “The Persian Night” by Amir Taheri. It reveals the extent of the mythology, misunderstanding, and willful ignorance that has characterized our dealings with Iran. Among these, large and small:
**the true role and effect of the CIA and MI-6 on the overthrow of Mossadeqh and the nature of Mossadeqh himself
***the religious apparat in Iran believe it’s been scientifically proven that women’s hair emits invisible rays that drive men mad with lust, hence the emphasis on covering hair more than faces
***Carter’s belief that Khomenei was a man of God and therefore much like himself
***public statements by Clinton during and after his presidency on his affinity for fellow ‘progressives’ in Iran
***the hopelessness of getting the Iranian regime to modify their activities as they need the presence of a Great Satan to justify their existence and activities
***the infiltration of S America with little being done to stop it
There is much more; indeed, I haven’t finished the book. It is very detailed, even tedious at times, but completely referenced.
If you read this you’ll understand that Obama is only the latest and worst of a long line. Things are even worse than we thought.
Mark: Hebrew National would suit them just fine. (no pork) what they need is some good polish sausage.
Phil Jackson (coach of the L.A. Lakers) was on Conan O’Brien’s new Tonight Show last week. While I don’t watch NBC outside of the “The Office,” (cough NBC-is-bought-and-paid-for-by-the-Dems cough) I happened to tune in. Phil’s foreign policy assessments somehow came up, with Phil declaring “Obama’s declaration of hope-n-change has led to the Iranian uprising.”
When no less an international relations luminary like Phil Jackson is convinced Obama inspired the dissidents in Iran, it seems to me that public perception of events unfolding over there have already been spun by the Left, and accepted by alot of Americans. Most of us know it’s bullshit, but I’m not sure the rest of America appreciates Obama’s cowardice and duplicity on this issue.
jeez, buckets, maybe it’ll spread here. i can just see O’s basijis –boomer professors with long gray pony tails trying haplessly to swing a baseball bat at the dissident Americans.
The Baby Boomers thinking China will come to their aid should take some comfort in knowing that as long as ten years ago China acknowledged that it was harvesting the internal organs of at least 10,000 executed Chinese citizens yearly, and making them available for sale on the world medical transplantation market.
More recently it came to light that the ever-inventive People’s Republic of China has been harvesting the skins of freshly-executed condemned prisoners, processing them to collect the collagens, and selling those collagens to European cosmetics manufacturers.
Let’s see… Angelina, Pamela, Julia, Melanie, Meg… Call your Beauticians!
Nah, fergit that.
Just get another blood test.
…
Mad Fiddler writes:
China acknowledged that it was harvesting the internal organs of at least 10,000 executed Chinese citizens yearly, and making them available for sale on the world medical transplantation market.
The big question is–which is the chicken and which is the egg? The organs produce money. Would these people have been executed if the only thing gained would have been an entire corpse to be buried in the ground? Are people merely livestock? Chickens, pigs, whatever, their parts to be used as their owners dictate? Oh, excuse me, I shouldn’t have said owners, I guess the proper term is “leaders.” But I suspect that most of the enlightened leaders of the world would have a hard time understanding that there is any difference between the two terms.
#15 is indeed on target. Mossadeqh was a rebel against the Shah who appointed him, who also had the right to fire him (Iranian Supplemental Fundamental Law of 7 Oct. 1907, Art. 46), which he did.
Fiddler, Neanderthal needed 4000 calories a day –Cro-Magnon half that. Cro-magnon survives, Neanderthal is gone. Hmm, any parallels? nah.
Obama Assails Iran for Violent Response to Protests
President Obama harshly condemned the Iranian crackdown against the protests on Tuesday, declaring the world “appalled and outraged.”
—
What if POTUS is an echo?
Dumbo is afraid to be appalled w/o “World Opinion” as a backup.
1970 – 52% of federal spending went to Defense,
26% – payments to individuals.
—
2008 – 21% of federal spending went to Defense,
62% – payments to individuals.
– Robert Samuelson via Steyn
Suspected U.S. Drone Strike Kills at Least 60 in Pakistan
If confirmed, the strike at a funeral in South Waziristan would be perhaps the deadliest by unmanned U.S. aircraft in Pakistan.
—
While the strike on the funeral may have been conducted by the Pakistani air force, residents and local media reports uniformly attributed it to an American drone.
The dead may have included top commanders for Mr. Mehsud. The Geo television network, quoting unnamed sources, said that the dead included a trainer of suicide bombers named Qari Hussain as well as another Taliban commander named Sangeen, though there was no way to immediately verify the report.
Another television channel, AAJ, put the death toll at 60 and said the attack was carried out by a guided missile.
Doug @ 29:
Why, that was just the peace dividend, dontcha know?
Besides – buying votes is hard work. Not to mention risky if the spigot ever gets turned off. (See other thread about French engineers and Paki expectations.)
After Obama said he was “appalled and outraged,” Major Garrett of Fox News asked him, “What took you so long?”
At this, Mr. Cool turned into Mr. Icy. “I don’t think that’s accurate. Track what I’ve been saying,” the president said. “We’ve been entirely consistent.”
And when another reporter asked if he was responding to the criticism of John McCain and other Republicans who implied he had been “weak and timid,” Obama said: “What do you think? I think John McCain has genuine passion about many of these international issues. Only I’m the president of the United States.”
So there. And when NBC’s Chuck Todd asked why he would not spell out the consequences for Iran if the rulers there did not clean up their act, Obama said, “I know everybody here is on a 24-hours news cycle. I am not.”
Wearing a tie that was an icy shade of lavender, Obama remained, as always, unflappable. Before the news conference, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews said he was “almost debonair” in his manner. After the news conference, you could remove the “almost.”
(Leg tingling, no doubt)
Suckup Simon @ Politico
1970 – 52% of federal spending went to Defense,
26% – payments to individuals.
—
2008 – 21% of federal spending went to Defense,
62% – payments to individuals.
Excellent, Doug, excelent!
I dunno on which side these protestors are, but they didn’t like you, nor Israel, and they shout “death to sarkozy, the sionnist”
in last january :
http://bokedou-an-hanv.blogspot.com/2009/06/iran-january-2009.html
As Barack made it clear to Mahmood,
“I had to get tough or get screwed.
Though Murdoch’s no Jew
He still hates me and you
So I had to act like there’s a feud.”
— —
With Obama’s new stylish cravat
And a look on his face quite distraught
He seemed so debonair
Like a young billionaire
Smoking Kools on the deck of his yacht.
— —
As the diplomats scurried at State
To explain there’s no change or update
For the fix is still in
Today’s talk was just spin
For domestic consumption, old mate.
— —
L3
6/Buck & 26/EJMax — Wonder if those facts exist in any modern high school textbooks…
8/Dave — Love the bit about the wind. Your words will wend their way through my prayers tonight.
35/Leo — Thanks. Read that aloud to the husband.
Buckets-
You need to understand that Jackson (an unabashed leftist and postmodernist his whole adult life) and those like him WANT to believe that this is so, and cannot abide the notion that they have ever made a mistake in their lives. They will therefore a. cherry-pick those factoids which support the idea that their Messiah is awesome and cool and b. completely ignore the larger body of facts that show him to have been precipitous and incompetent in this whole affair.
For people like him and the rest of the NPR left, overwhelming consitent logic and facts aren’t necessary to create and bolster his ridiculous opinions, merely a few factoids and a few leftists with Farsi accents saying it is so.
The saddest line of this post- “it works”. Who voted for Obama last election? How did it work? This guy does nothing right- how did he get it right and become President?
“And we all know why that is, don’t we? It is the same reason that Oprah says that it is Okay for blacks to use the N Word when referring to one another but not for any other race to do so.”
Clue me in to that statement, because it’s something I have yet to hear from the Daytime Chosen One’s mouth. (Then again, I don’t watch much daytime tv).
But to put things in perspective, when Whites historically used the N word, it was in verbal validation of the Blacks’ then current standing as “subhuman” and somehow “inferior” to proper Whites.
Not that it makes the Black use of the word any better. Such usage stems from a deeply rooted and pathological self-hatred. That is all.
“This is how Obama ran his campaign.”
No. This is how some people REMEMBER his campaign, after all he false starts and embarrassing moments have been buried by his propagandists in the media.
Obama was blindsided by the uproar about Rev. Wright. Nothing could have been more predictable, but he did not see it coming. Then it took him weeks and one “historic” speech about race (now also forgotten) to settle on a response, then contradict himself by throwing Wright under the bus. He was saved by McCain´s bizarre decision to be silent about Wright and not turn him into an issue.