Hillary and Barack on Iran

 

If anyone’s still wondering how the Obama administration would treat the human rights struggle in Iran following the elections last week, it looks like we have our answer.

We’ve got Hillary Clinton on Wednesday, giving her full-throated, unequivocal support ambivalence towards the cause of freedom in Iran:

"The people of Iran deserve the right to have their voices heard and their votes counted. The outcome of any election should reflect the will of the people. And it is for the Iranians to determine how they resolve this internal protest concerning the outcome of the recent election, but it is a fundamental value that the United States holds with respect to free and fair and credible elections.”

And Barry on Saturday, apparently still under the impression that the Iranians seek the respect of the international community:

President Obama on Saturday called on the Iranian government to "stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people" amid calls for the White House to go further in showing support for the Iranian people after the country’s disputed elections.

Republicans, in particular, have pressed Obama to speak out more forcefully, as protesters and authorities clashed Saturday in Tehran during a government crackdown.

"The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights," Obama said in a written statement.

Obama also referred back to his speech this month to the Muslim world, saying "suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion." 

And Obama cited the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s, famous quote: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

"I believe that," Obama said. "The international community believes that. And right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian peoples’ belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness."

And Gibbsie on Thursday, giving us a status report on all the free thinkers in the Obama cabinet:

QUESTION: Robert, on Iran, is there an internal debate in the White House now between those who clearly support what the president is doing in terms of the hands-off approach and those who think that the president needs to have some stronger language? Is that ongoing in the White House?

GIBBS: There’s no debate in the White House.

QUESTION: Is there division at all? Is everyone on the same page on this or are there those who think that the president — internally — that the president…

GIBBS: Everybody’s on the same page. There’s no difference of opinion.

So there you have it.  It looks like the United States of America is going to “bear witness” to the “long arc” of the “moral universe” while the mullahs brutalize the protesters that Obama encouraged to press for freedom a few weeks ago.

What a treat this guy is to watch!  I’m so glad they’re all on the same page over there.  It warms my cockles.