Disgust-Blogging The Press Conference
The president of the United States just kicked off his press conference with a stalwart speech that almost made it sound like he stands with the people of Iran. For all the words of bravery and historical right, though, he stopped short of even saying he stands in awe of them. He’s been trying to avoid making that speech. He was forced into making it. (YouTube’s a bitch.) But he made it clear that, admirable though he may have implied the brave people of Iran are in their struggle, he doesn’t stand with them.
It isn’t his problem, he’s steering clear of it, and he wants the world to know that.
And the Iranian people sorting their problems out on their own, without U.S. interference, would be fine, except that he most definitely means he won’t be doing a damned thing for them. Based on the president’s response to the first question, he apparently still thinks against 30 years and the last week’s worth of evidence that the terrorism-exporting regime now violently oppressing the Iranian people is one with which the United States can do business. And he is still planning on doing that. Good luck, Iranian people!
That’s when I stopped listening. Let me know if I missed something. I’m looking forward to all the news reports that will tell me how he took a strong tone with his strongest words yet, etc. I hope the people of Iran, if they manage to free themselves of their violent, oppressive religious extremist rule, will forgive him his timid naivety, or shortsighted obtuseness, whatever it is.
Here’s your president’s mealymouthed stalwartness, via the Weekly Standard:
I have made it clear that the United States respects the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and is not at all interfering in Iran’s affairs. But we must also bear witness to the courage and dignity of the Iranian people, and to a remarkable opening within Iranian society. And we deplore violence against innocent civilians anywhere that it takes place.
The Iranian people are trying to have a debate about their future. Some in the Iranian government are trying to avoid that debate by accusing the United States and others outside of Iran of instigating protests over the elections. These accusations are patently false and absurd. They are an obvious attempt to distract people from what is truly taking place within Iran’s borders. This tired strategy of using old tensions to scapegoat other countries won’t work anymore in Iran. This is not about the United States and the West; this is about the people of Iran, and the future that they – and only they – will choose.
The Iranian people can speak for themselves. That is precisely what has happened these last few days. In 2009, no iron fist is strong enough to shut off the world from bearing witness to the peaceful pursuit of justice. Despite the Iranian government’s efforts to expel journalists and isolate itself, powerful images and poignant words have made their way to us through cell phones and computers, and so we have watched what the Iranian people are doing.
This is what we have witnessed. We have seen the timeless dignity of tens of thousands Iranians marching in silence. We have seen people of all ages risk everything to insist that their votes are counted and their voices heard. Above all, we have seen courageous women stand up to brutality and threats, and we have experienced the searing image of a woman bleeding to death on the streets. While this loss is raw and painful, we also know this: those who stand up for justice are always on the right side of history.
As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people have a universal right to assembly and free speech. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect those rights, and heed the will of its own people. It must govern through consent, not coercion. That is what Iran’s own people are calling for, and the Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government.
He’s no Winston Churchill, though I think he was trying to strike a note with his “timeless dignity” and related rhetoric. Never claimed to be a Reagan and definitely didn’t want to be a George Bush, and he’s succeeding. As rhetoric, it be the exact opposite of softly and carrying a big stick. More talk talk, with no walk.
Surber, “more molly-coddling of evil.”
LA Times Top of the Ticket: Why? Always a good question.
You don’t need to be a basketball-loving president of the United States to know that if you’re trying to block opponents’ shots in your end, you sure aren’t increasing your own totals. You can’t score points on D.
So President Obama’s news conference this morning is his bid to steal the ball from his opponents and scoot down the court for his own layup …
Obama has lost some mojo in recent days on this month’s pressing issues, especially Iran’s ongoing protests and healthcare reform. Obama’s printed Saturday statement about Iran on his way out the White House door for ice cream with his daughters was insufficient media competition for the appallingly graphic video of the young woman Neda dying on a Tehran street.
HotAir liveblogged it, and has this on Obama’s peace partners: “Caught on tape: Ahmadinejad and clerics conspire to elimiinate Iranian democracy?” I’m sorry, pre-selected choice is democracy?
Malkin: an O-bligatory press conference.
The Other McCain gushblogs it.
Politico’s Calderone: Obama-Huffpo setup. O to Po: You want to ask me about Iranians on the Web? Po to O: Funny you should ask. I’d like to use this opportunity to ask you about Iranians on the Web.
It’s getting a little tiresome, but yes, if Bush and any righty blog had tried that, there’d be cases of the vapors.
Fausta gets the double-entendre of the day: “Wienie Diplomacy still on.” (About the Obama admin’s Hotdogs for Mullahs initiative, I have a couple of ideas on how American diplomats can show Islamic extremists some real American hospitality without crossing the boss. BYO Sharia!)
Memeorandum’s got the rest.
One last link for anyone, such as the Washington Post, apparently, who hadn’t figured it out yet: “Iran Unrest Reveals Split In U.S. On Its Role Abroad.” I pretty much thought that was what the last election was about, but what do I know?
Welcome, Punditeers. Always good to see you. Come on in. We’ve been enjoying some Russkywood war classics, like Saving Private Ivan and Band of Comrades We also marked the anniversary of the Battle of Battles that ended the War of Wars, setting the stage for our own world … Waterloo.
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 1:22 pm on Tuesday, June 23, 2009
7 Responses to “Disgust-Blogging The Press Conference”
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June 23rd, 2009 at 3:41 pm
[...] Instapundit and Jules Crittenden [...]
June 23rd, 2009 at 4:15 pm
I think Obama is too clever by half. Does he really think he is going to negotiate anything valid with people who are committed to force rather than its opposite, voluntary action to mutual agreement? Does he really think that a lot of Americans will buy his “peace” efforts” if he should try them?
Obama in his cagey shady straddle of everything except the direction of his agenda has a mind much more Middle Eastern than Western. I think this may be the first of many harsh lessons where reality will have the final say and will, insofar as he is concerned, only show one thing: he wasn’t willing to go there.
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Translation: This is making me look bad, and that youtube video was really icky. Also, you mullahs need to stop blaming me for stuff I didn’t have anything to do with, and I’m practically on your side, anyway. Can’t this all just go away? It’s for Iranians to decide what Iranians will do with Iran and their stupid Iranian problems that are taking up waaaayyy too much of my time.
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:51 pm
While this loss is raw and painful, we also know this: those who stand up for justice are always on the right side of history.
So says President Obi-Iwon, speaking from the wrong side of history.
Fatty Bolger, your comment reminded me of Rodney King, “can’t we all just get along?”, while LA neighborhoods went up in flames.
In our own interest, it doesn’t matter who wins in Iran. If the regime wins, they hate us anyway, and now they know they can get away with any atrocity. If the opposition wins, they’ll know we didn’t do a damn thing to help them, and they’ll blame all of us for it, not just Obama.
June 23rd, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Translation: “It’s my fence and I’ll straddle it as long as I can.”
Wouldn’t do to have him make a bold statement for freedom as Reagan or either Bush would. Nope, not nuanced enough. Kind of sad when we’re behind Europe on human rights.
President Feckless.
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:16 pm
To quote from the WaPo story you make your last link, “privately Obama advisers are crediting his Cairo speech for inspiring the protesters, especially the young ones, who are now posing the most direct challenge to the republic’s Islamic authority in its 30-year history.” I got such a kick out of that. Apparently, it was an act of divine intervention because, according to Huffpo, the “speech was not broadcast in Iran, where the goverment jammed signals to block satellite owners from watching.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/04/obama-cairo-speech-video_n_211210.html
July 1st, 2009 at 1:19 am
[...] Jules Crittenden | He’s no Winston Churchill, though I think he was trying to strike a note with his “timeless dignity” and related rhetoric. Never claimed to be a Reagan and definitely didn’t want to be a George Bush, and he’s succeeding. [...]