Comments on: George Will on Conservatives’ Criticism of Obama’s Iran Response

By: DLS

DLS — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:05:23 +0000

Psst! Hey, Kathy. George Will just wrote and had published a column about Obama and the “public option” obvious move toward federal health care for everyone.

By: joeaudio

joeaudio — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:27:43 +0000

George Will deserves nothing BUT condescension.
He is a hack, a political tool.
His lives in the same category of tools as the late Tim Russert, who's utility as a tool was revealed during the Libby trail. Cathie Martin testified that he (Russert) was a very reliable tool for "getting the message out."
Any self respecting journalist would have retired and gone off to hide in a corner after that revelation.
But not Timmy. Nor will George ever admit to being a tool.
Show your respect for him if you want to be ridiculed by people who think, instead of regurgitating republic talking points.
Tool or Fool, what's the difference?

By: Jazz

Jazz — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:25:23 +0000

With no offense intended to Kathy in particular, I have to go write a column about George Will and how tired I am of hearing condescending comments about his writing.

By: cassiewonders

cassiewonders — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:46:44 +0000

please forgive my lack of an operating set of caps keys…

iran's history is so mysterious to americans that we tend to only digest what happens in that nation through the eyes of successive u.s. presidents. since the iran hostage situation in 79-80, americans have seen iran only as a nation under the rule of despots who hate the west. persia's glorious past and troubled empires are not on the conversational plates of most americans. that being said, obama is right to withhold stronger condemnation and let this crisis in iran play out under the control — however tragically gained — of the iranian people. some iranians might wish for the united states to show more visible support, but in the long run, they must take charge of their own country in their own way.
i have often wondered how iraq would have changed had we never invaded that nation and allowed the iraqi people to eventually — no matter how slow it seemed to the westerner's impatient character — offload saddam hussein. i honestly feel that iraqis, a highly educated and sophisticated people — would have made the decision to not tolerate appointed heirs to saddam's regime. it would have been messy and ugly and dangerous, but they would have shifted their nation's future on their own terms.
thus i feel that way about iran now. the iranian people are strong and full of tradition and courage through centuries of both hardship and glory. they are suffering now. do we add to the suffering by compelling their corrupt government to portray us as somehow egging on the protests and thus stomping down even harder than they already have to silence their citizens…hard to say for sure, but all i believe tells me that each nation on this earth has to allow its own citizens the freedom to take down their dictators and end their own suffering. when those troubles do not breach foreign borders, but remain civil war or just civil strife, i believe we must let it all unfold as only the people of each nation believe it should — for better or for worse.

By: casualobserver

casualobserver — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:13:23 +0000

@Much of the country was not yet born the last time America had anything to do with the country.

Do you mean to tell me Ruhollah Khomeini was not a CIA plant?

By: DaGoat

DaGoat — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:57:41 +0000

I have mixed feelings on this. Intellectually and logically Obama is right, and that strong comments from the US may just make things worse for the protesters.

On the other hand strong images such as the Iranian woman dying from her gunshot wound and protesters being beaten deserve strong responses. Obama's subdued statements (his second statement was a bit stronger) haven't reflected the horror many Americans feel seeing those images.

I can't be critical of Obama on this but I can't be completely satisfied either.

By: GerSan

GerSan — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:47 +0000

Let us not. The current situation in Iran is largely taking place because the people are tired of living under a dictator. Much of the country was not yet born the last time America had anything to do with the country.

By: ThurmanHart

ThurmanHart — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:13:45 +0000

Let us also consider that the current political climate in Iran is, in no small part, due to the intervention into Iranian politics by the American government.