Given the past week or so of violence and protest in Iran following a rather questionable election pressure is mounting on Obama to step up and put the Iranian leadership in its place by openly supporting the protesters in Iran.
I can sympathize with this position to a certain extent. A people are standing up against oppression and one would like to support that but on the other hand is it any of our business?
Would we listen in Canada if Iran's leader stood up and told us what we should do?
People are looking to Obama to lead and that's fine, but I can't help but get the sense that there are a large group of people out there that think Obama is some miracle worker with the answers to all of life's and the world's problems. It's a rather absurd notion to be sure.
First why should anyone listen to the US?
Really.
Why?
The obvious argument is that the US has discredited itself through the unilateral invasion of Iraq, the unlawful detention of foreign citizens in Guantanamo Bay, the use of torture on same prisoners and the questionable legal practices used to strip civil rights away from their own citizens. So why should anyone listen to the US when they speak of truth, justice and the American way?
The counter arguement to this is now: Obama! Like his name alone will ward off the encroaching darkness. All of what was previously argued happened under the hated W, but now Obama is in power and that creates a clear line of demarcation between what the US has done and what they will do.
I guess that that is plausible except for the fact that Guantanamo is still in operation. People are still being held by American authorities without charge or representation. Obama went to Egypt, itself a repressive regime and said nothing. He says nothing about the situation in Darfur or Somalia. Continues to do business with repressive regimes such as China and Pakistan.
Usually when such stuff is brought up people argue that it isn't POTUS's responsibility to police the world but rather to look after his own people. And in this they are correct, except when it suits their own sense of inflated ego, then the world should snap to and listen to what comes from the the White House podium and do as they are told. They want their cake and eat it to.
Clinton lost a lot of respect when he said nothing about the genocide in Rwanda. He had gone into Somalia and left with his tail between his legs. Then refused to send US troops into harms way to help end the genocide in Kosovo, utilizing only air power. Then Rwanda came about and it was argued that the US had no right to meddle in the affairs of sovereign nations.
Well what has changed?
Nothing. America still acts when and where it wants and refuses to act where and when it wants. I guess that that is their right. Unless of course they taking advantage of or invading a foreign people, but some of the time that simply doesn't matter.
So I'm left with the question of why should Iran or anyone else for that matter listen to what the US has to say about their internal policies or actions?
Well Obama has played this situation rather circumspectly, issuing statments but not giving them himself. Not lending his teleprompter presence to the words. He's not getting directly involved and trying to be seen as not meddling in the internal affairs of Iran. Which of course would be a foolish thing to do after his Cairo speach.
The thing I have to wonder about Obama is that he seems to believe that it is the responsibility of the POTUS to defend Islam to the world and that the notions of free speach and assembly are inaliable rights given to all mankind. I have no idea where he came up with such ludicrous notions but he seems to believe them.
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On a more facetious note if we want all these problems to go away (Darfur, Somalia, Pakistan, Iraq, China, North Korea, etc.) we need only send in the Scientologists.
Don't believe me?
Ask Tom Cruise.
Video.
