The Iranian government apparently treated the country to a Lord of the Rings movie marathon today, supposedly to keep people indoors and to stop protesting.  And possibly to get them to stop thinking about the bearded, robed, psychotic, nihilistic madmen who are running their country.

Maybe next time they should go with “Dude, Where’s My Car?” or something, because this probably won’t work.

 

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.

The United States should always and without fail be an advocate of human rights.  During the Cold War, political prisoners in the USSR, like Solzhenitsyn and Sharansky took heart from the thought that there were American leaders who were not willing to appease the Soviets and who steadfastly demanded that the citizens of the USSR have their rights acknowledged and defended.  The demand from some US leaders was non-partisan.  Reagan obviously walked the walk, but so did Democrat Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson.  In his book, The Case for Democracy, Natan Sharansky acknowledged that the continuous support of western leaders like Reagan and Jackson was something that gave them hope and encouraged them to continue to work to bring about change.

A couple of weeks ago, Barack Hussein Obama appeared to continue that tradition, stating this in his address to the “Muslim World”:

That does not lessen my commitment, however, to governments that reflect the will of the people. Each nation gives life to this principle in its own way, grounded in the traditions of its own people. America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election. But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn’t steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. Those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere.

There is no straight line to realize this promise. But this much is clear: governments that protect these rights are ultimately more stable, successful and secure. Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. America respects the right of all peaceful and law-abiding voices to be heard around the world, even if we disagree with them. And we will welcome all elected, peaceful governments – provided they govern with respect for all their people.

Similarly, now is also the time for leadership from the west when it comes to the Iranian elections.  As more and more evidence arises that there was fraud in last week’s election, and as the protests against the current hateful, apocalyptic regime continue to grow, now would be the time for the President of the United States to speak out in support of human rights and the ideals of freedom that we have and wish for all people to share.  If America appears weak or ambivalent to the protests or the violent government response, the government of Iran will be heartened and will accelerate the crackdown.  And if America appears weak when it comes to Iran, what image will that convey to our other rivals in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Venezuela, North Korea, and even in Russia and China?

Weakness begets weakness, but strength now will have repercussions in our ability to execute diplomacy with other countries.  We have a moral responsibility to support freedom and human rights for everybody.

Barack Hussein Obama’s response to the crisis in one of our sister Muslim countries has been tepid at best.  He’s said he’s “deeply troubled.”  A president shouldn’t be “troubled,” he should be outraged and vocally supportive of those who are currently fighting for, and starting to die for, human rights in Iran.

His strongest words so far have been to say that, “I do believe something has happened in Iran where there is a questioning of the kind of antagonistic postures toward the international community that have take place in the past.”  Great!  Let’s take a stand on the side of good and human rights and come out in support of those who are demanding new, free, uncorrupted elections.

Obama has responded to the crisis also by suggesting that differences between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi may not be great, and the US would still be dealing with a hostile regime.

That may be.  Maybe Mousavi isn’t exactly Thomas Jefferson, but consider three things:

1) The Iranian people should, as Obama suggested in his speech, get the leader they peacefully elected, and allow them to trust the rule of law.

2) Mousavi has advanced the idea of reengaging with America in a spirit of openness and diplomacy again.

3) Supporting a just, open and fair election now would encourage reformists to continue to come forward and participate in the political process in the future.  But if we leave the people who are demonstrating for their human rights to their own devices and hang them out to dry today, they’ll know they can’t rely on the West to support them in the future, either.  It’s essential that we unequivocally support these people.

Now’s your chance, Barry.  You talked the talk.  Walk the walk.  These people no doubt heard your words and took strength from them, believing that someone with a name like theirs, with a Muslim history like them, finally understood their plight and their yearning for freedom.  You portrayed yourself as a hero for freedom, a fellow traveler who understood their religion and their struggle.  If you let this chance for change wither and allow the authoritarians in Iran to crush these people under their bootheels, this will be blood on your hands.  These people are demonstrating for change.  This is your moment.  Reach out to them.

We were told that Barack Obama would fix our crumbling alliances, restore international faith in America, fluff everybody’s pillows at night, and regale us with the magical songs of yesteryear, when America and Europe were as one.

He works in strange ways.

So far, he’s given the mostly blind Prime Minister of Britain region-coded DVDs to not watch at his leisure.  He’s offered the Queen an iPod with all of his best speeches.  Secretary of State Clinton wowed the Russians with the government’s kickass inability to translate English to Russian.  Now he’s deported Guantanamo terrorists to the UK territory of Bermuda, without letting the UK know.

Senior aides to President Barack Obama accompanied four Uighur prisoners as they were flown from Guantanamo Bay to the British colony of Bermuda, without the UK being informed, it was revealed yesterday.

In an escalating diplomatic row over the transfer of the former terrorist suspects, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed the transfer with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband in what was said to be an uneasy conversation. Privately Whitehall officials accused America of treating Britain, with whom it is supposed to have a "special relationship", with barely disguised contempt.

One senior official said: "The Americans were fully aware of the foreign-policy understanding we have with Bermuda and they deliberately chose to ignore it. This is not the kind of behaviour one expects from an ally."

On the other hand, he’s been widely praised for telling the "Muslim world" (another great collectivist shortcut) that America is, really, deep down, a Muslim nation and that America shouldn’t be considered "above" any other country (presumably including the oppressive apocalyptic theocracies that wish death to the Jews and the Great Satan).  Oh, yeah, he also threw a bone to the rest of the rational, civilized world by reminding us that holocaust denial is bad.  So don’t let anybody tell you that he’s without moderation.

Obama says the US is one of the largest Muslim countries

The president said the United States and other parts of the Western world “have to educate ourselves more effectively on Islam.”

“And one of the points I want to make is, is that if you actually took the number of Muslim Americans, we’d be one of the largest Muslim countries in the world,” Mr. Obama said. “And so there’s got to be a better dialogue and a better understanding between the two peoples.”

First off, we’re not.  Numerically or ideologically, we’re anything but Muslim.  We’re as Wiccan as we are Muslim, but witches general don’t have a significant genocidal streak, so he’s not bowing to them this week.  He’s pandering to the Saudis today, trying to convince them that we’re just like them.

Secondly, why does he feel the need to compulsively criticize the USA whenever he goes to a foreign country?  And why did we hear so much about how Obama is a “committed Christian” with no Muslim roots during the campaign, but now that he’s traveling the world on his blame America tours, he’s Mister Muslim?