Weakness On Display – Obama Waiting To See How Situation in Iran “plays out”
Obama held a press conference today concerning the situation in Iran and America’s role in that nation.
From the press conference:
QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. Your administration has said that the offer to talk to Iran’s leaders remains open. Can you say if that’s still so even with all the violence that has been committed by the government against the peaceful protesters? And if it is, is there any red line that your administration won’t cross where that offer will be shut off?
OBAMA: Well, obviously what’s happened in Iran is profound, and we’re still waiting to see how it plays itself out. My position coming into this office has been that the United States has core national security interests in making sure that Iran doesn’t possess a nuclear weapon and it stops exporting terrorism outside of its borders.
We have provided a path whereby Iran can reach out to the international community, engage, and become a part of international norms. It is up to them to make a decision as to whether they choose that path. What we’ve been saying over the last several days, the last couple of weeks, obviously is not encouraging in terms of the path that this regime may choose to take. And the fact that they are now in the midst of an extraordinary debate taking place in Iran, you know, may end up coloring how they respond to the international community as a whole.
We are going to monitor and see how this plays itself out before we make any judgments about how we proceed. But to reiterate, there is a path available to Iran in which their sovereignty is respected, their traditions, their culture, their faith is respected, but one in which they are part of a larger community that has responsibilities and operates according to norms and international rules that are universal.
We don’t know how they’re going to respond yet, and that’s what we’re waiting to see.
QUESTION: So should there be consequences for what’s happened so far?
OBAMA: I think that the international community is, as I said before, bearing witness to what’s taking place. And the Iranian government should understand that how they handle the dissent within their own country, generated indigenously, internally, from the Iranian people, will help shape the tone, not only for Iran’s future, but also its relationship to other countries.
Anyone who remembers President Reagan uttering those now famous words, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” should be as ashamed of our President today as we were proud of our President then. Where Reagan made a speech that ended up helping to change the world, Obama is afraid to even pick a side.
The one thing everyone agreed would be the best thing to happen in Iran…the one thing no one ever thought possible…is happening now. The country is on the verge of civil war. The world’s best chance of ending the possibility of nuclear armament by an evil and deranged administration in Iran is passing the President by while he waits to see what will happen.
The American leadership that helped bring down the wall is now non-existent and the people of Iran will find no comfort or support from this administration. While they fight and die in the streets for democratic causes, Obama’s State Department is inviting Iranian diplomats to 4th of July parties at our embassies around the world for the first time in years!
This is a time for true leaders, strong leaders to stand up and tell the world what America stands for. Unfortunately, we have a President who doesn’t believe in the things that America stands for. A weak and passive response to this potentially historic moment is all he could muster. The people of Iran have no friends in our leadership. They’re on their own.
