The (non-existent) Backbone of the American President

Dear Mr. President,

Please grow up.

Across the world, in the troubled area known as the Middle East, in the Islamic Republic, there is a nation fighting for its God-given freedom, and you don’t seem to care. You seem more content to bask in the glowing media attention and reminisce about your intense popularity in Europe. For days you were silent on the the developing Iranian Revolution, then you issued a weak, limp-wristed, written statement claiming you didn’t want to “interfere” with internal Iranian affairs, even though the presidential election that started this recent chain of events was very visibly unfair and most definitely rigged. Oh, but I forgot, you know all about working with groups that support voter fraud, don’t you? For what it’s worth, Iran just admitted fifty cities had more votes cast than voters registered! What were you waiting for?

Then, days later, responding to pressure from lawmakers and the American public, you finally released something with just enough meat to appease your liberal supporters:

“What you’re seeing in Iran are hundreds of thousands of people who believe their voices were not heard and who are peacefully protesting and–and seeking justice. And the world is watching. And we stand behind those who are seeking justice in a peaceful way. And, you know, already we’ve seen violence out there. I think I’ve said this throughout the week. I want to repeat it that we stand with those who would look to peaceful resolution of conflict, and we believe that the voices of people have to be heard, that that’s a universal value that the American people stand for and this administration stands for.” (link)

Okay, well that’s all well and good, sir, but where’s the call to action? You spent the majority of your interview once again apologizing for America, the West, and our way of life, carefully side-stepping anything that might possibly resemble hard-and-fast support for a new, democratic government in Iran (these are from the same WSJ article):

“Well, first of all, let’s understand that this notion that somehow these hundreds of thousands of people who are pouring into the streets in Iran are somehow responding to the West or the United States. that’s an old distraction that I think has been trotted out periodically. And that’s just not gonna fly.”

And,

“And I’m very concerned based on some of the tenor and tone of the statements that have been made that the government of Iran recognize that the world is watching. And how they approach and deal with people who are, through peaceful means, trying to be heard will, I think, send a pretty clear signal to the international community about what Iran is–and is not.”

I understand the need for a thoughtful approach, but I don’t think anyone is calling for war. All we, as the American people, want is a strongly-worded statement.

Now, perhaps you feel I’m being unfair, Mr. President. After all, you say, I didn’t vote for you, nor do I support the vast majority of your policies. In fact, I do my best to stop them, so why would I give you a fair shake on this subject? With all due respect, sir, I do my best to always treat you and your policies fairly, but at this time of crisis, that is beside the point. The point is, Mr. President, you are the leader of the free world. You set the course for all other democratic republics to follow, whether you like it or not, and your inability to release a quick, concise, and very direct message straight to the Iranian people is troubling. All it would take is two or three sentences. Here, I’ve even written them up for you:

—————–

(SUGGESTED)

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OBAMA

“We stand with the Iranian people in their fight for democracy. Every people deserves to be free. The United States will do everything in its power diplomatically to assist the people of Iran.”

—————–

See, that’s not so bad. If British PM Gordon Brown can do it, surely you can, too.

Mr. President, the world is counting on you to support those demonstrating in the hope of a Free Iran. People like Neda are dying for the cause of freedom. Isn’t a strongly worded press conference the least you could do?

Sincerely,

Caleb Hays.

P.S. In case you hadn’t heard, Mr. President, Iran already hates us and was blaming us for this revolt even before your first statement. In other words, they’ll hate us whether or not you stand in support of the people of Iran, so what’s stopping you? Even Congress has approved a joint resolution supporting the protestors.

Tags: Congress, Democracy, Iran, obama, Revolution