Revolution, 2009 — No. 3 In a Series

I’m wondering if Obama will sell out the protesters to gain favor with Ahmadinejad. You know he’s considering it.

Jake,
It has been several weeks since the WH promised an internal report on the fly-over of NYC. Can you check the status of that report? Thanks.

Axey:”It has been several weeks since the WH promised an internal report on the fly-over of NYC. Can you check the status of that report? Thanks.”
It was released May 8th – I’m surprised you missed the coverage of it on Fox (they have a link posted to the pdf on their website). Clearly, even you don’t really care about following it or you are just be disingenuous in your attempts to stir up a hate rerun.

“How exactly would he sell out the protesters?”
By following your advice.
“That would certainly be a death sentence.”
Protesting in Iran can be a death sentence. How can anyone not know that?

jhw39: Iranian students claim “they’re doomed if Obama accepts the election” (Per CNN). Obama doesn’t have to openly root for Mousavi, just show admiration for the protesters’ and respect for their demand for freedom.
History is at a pivot point and Obama has received yet another “3 a.m. call.” He can’t vote “present” on this one.

Exurban Jon:”Iranian students claim “they’re doomed if Obama accepts the election” (Per CNN). Obama doesn’t have to openly root for Mousavi, just show admiration for the protesters’ and respect for their demand for freedom.”
Wow. You really think that Obama expressing admiration for the protesters would HELP them. That’s amazing and a little scary. Yeah, compliments from the Great Satan really would do wonders for their legitimacy.
Note that Obama has NOT accepted the election in any way.
I suppose you’re still surprised our troops weren’t greeted with roses in Iraq by Sunnis and Shiites linking arms in brotherly love.

=== So what will he do now? Posted by: MayBee | Jun 15, 2009 11:49:16 AM===
Take a poll?

Foghorn Leghorn:”Really? Is that what the total lack of any statement of any kind from the administration is communicating? That is so sophisticated.”
Yes, that is what it means and it is hardly sophisticated.
What, specifically, do you want to see? Obama endorsing the opposition in a nation that has spent a generation blaming and hating America?
Think!
And it’s not like they have not put out the appropriate unofficial lines (blanket doubt about the election, which can play as just more of the US insulting Iranian democracy rather than explicitly choose a side for the kiss of death).
“There is an awful lot of questions about how this election was run,” Biden said yesterday (Sat actually I think).
“We are waiting to see. We don’t have enough facts to make a firm judgment,” he said.

Exurban Jon:”The Iranian students don’t view America as “the Great Satan.” Only you, Ahmadinejad and the Mullahs do. ”
I certainly do not view America in that manner, as I have often said the US is the greatest nation mankind has ever known. Quit the silly ad hominem attacks.
And do you notice the people who do view the US as the Great Satan would just happen to be all the people holding the guns in Iran?
This type of shallow thinking (painfully illustrated by the four+ year search for a reasonable strategy in Iraq) is why the Republican party is rapidly losing respect in the area of national security.

I meant to say “a” US Senator from Minnesota!

“I notice you never did offer what you think the government should be doing, as expected from the Party of No.”
I’d love to hear what the suggestions are. -End recognition of the government of Iran and incite riots maybe? It’s ridiculous.

I too am waiting for Greg Craig’s report on the flyover of NY City.
He was assigned to investigate and he most certainly did NOT release a report on
May 8th.

Really? Is that what the total lack of any statement of any kind from the administration is communicating? That is so sophisticated.
Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn
as opposed to old ‘W’ saying about Bin Laden:
‘wanted dead or alive’ and then a few years later:
“I don’t think about him very much’..
very nuanced 2 statements
or perhaps: “all combat operations in Iraq have ended”
or republicans in general, who like to start needless wars and get other peoples kids killed and wounded.. and do evrything they can
to continue damaging America, to get them back into power.

“I wonder if they are also hoping Obama will make a proclamation that Al Franken is now the US Senator from Minnesota.”
Is this official yet?

“In 2006, he let it be known he’d rather withdraw American troops from Iraq than support their democracy.”
Because only thru occupation can we support Iraq’s democracy?
=============
Of course not. But there would have been no democracy to support had we let Iraq fall to the bloody violence that was a part of pre-surge Iraq.

“But there would have been no democracy to support had we let Iraq fall to the bloody violence that was a part of pre-surge Iraq.”
And what caused that bloody violence again?
Would that be our invasion based on false pretenses?

“YES HE DID. For goodness sakes, don’t you even bother to google (or Bing) before you post? As reported IN MAY:”
jhw,
If memory serves me correctly, right wingers were claiming Wanda Sykes “blue” performance at the WHCD was to cover this report up.

Has it occurred to the critics that making the wrong move here would have far more damaging effects than making the right move would have beneficial effects? Caution is justified.

“There was no report released and there has been no indication that Greg Craig will issue one as promised. You are mistaken.”
On Friday, the White House released the results of that review.
The report details the chain of events preceding the flyover, stretching back to March. In an April 3 meeting, the report indicates, Air Force and FAA officials, along with local authorities decided that the public would be notified two days before the event, though “no reference” would be made to Air Force One. The plane is referred to as Air Force One in the report, even though that designation technically only applies when the president is on board.
Later, the report suggests, the decision not to notify the public was made by the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA and the White House declined to comment on the matter. An administration official on Friday disputed the report’s suggestion, saying “it was the White House Military Office that said it was classified and couldn’t be released to the public.”
The report says Mr. Caldera had little involvement in the planning and first learned of the operation on April 20. Mr. Caldera’s deputy, George Mulligan, discussed the flyover with Mr. Caldera again on April 24, the report says. Mr. Mulligan told White House investigators that he advised Mr. Caldera in a direct conversation to tell Mr. Gibbs, the press secretary, and Mr. Messina, about the flight. Mr. Caldera said he recalled the conversation as “an FYI, that unfortunately didn’t register as a big deal” and as “an aside.”

“But there would have been no democracy to support had we let Iraq fall to the bloody violence that was a part of pre-surge Iraq.”
And what caused that bloody violence again?
Would that be our invasion based on false pretenses?
==============
Good point.
Having a murderous dictator in Iraq who was kept in check by civilian-starving UN sanctions was fine with Barack Obama.
As was the idea pulling out troops to let Iraq fall into chaos rather than engaging in a surge.
You just further prove my point that Obama has never been a big proponent of democracy in the Middle East.
Is he going to start now, with this even?
We’ll see. He has made it pretty clear believes in the “realism” school of ME policy.

“We’ll see. He has made it pretty clear believes in the “realism” school of ME policy.”
After all the time and effort you guys spend telling us that peace in the Middle East is folly and Obama’s efforts are some kind of worthless appeasement, to then say he doesn’t support democracy seems like arguing from both sides of the fence. Are you saying that the only way to support democracy is by force of arms?

“Having a murderous dictator in Iraq who was kept in check by civilian-starving UN sanctions was fine with Barack Obama.”
Yes because the civilias starving and dehydrating efforts via destruction of their infrastructure during our invasion proved much more effective.

“But when we are engaged militarily in supporting fledgling democracies (Iraq, Afghanistan), pulling out without stabilizing them is absolutely a democracy-ender”
The point of engaging Iraq and Afghanistan militarily was not to support fledgling democracies.
Pay attentions everyone and you can see the right wing create a new Big Lie right before your very eyes.

RyanC:The point of engaging Iraq and Afghanistan militarily was not to support fledgling democracies.
===============
They were not fledgling democracies when we engaged them.
That’s why I said:
“But when we are engaged militarily in supporting fledgling democracies (Iraq, Afghanistan), pulling out without stabilizing them is absolutely a democracy-ender. ”
Think of post-election Iraq, around 2006.
Are you disputing the fact that President Obama has lessened the emphasis of democracy in his ME policy?
Do you think fairness of elections in the ME is something he is interested in taking a strong stand on?

“No, Obama is not a proponent of invading countries we do not like under the after the fact guise of “democracy building”.
Obama had no knowledge of nor was privy to the secret intelligence concerning the decision to invade Iraq as he was a state Senator at the time. Yet he was against invading Iraq without knowing the evidence.

“Obama had no knowledge of nor was privy to the secret intelligence concerning the decision to invade Iraq as he was a state Senator at the time. Yet he was against invading Iraq without knowing the evidence.”
Lucky him as he does not carry the taint of Democrats who believed the Bush admin’s cooked intelligence which turned out to be FALSE.
Perhaps he understood the Bush admin was not to be trusted.

“So, RyanC and JHW find it hilarious that someone was unaware of the White House internal report on the flyover. AFter all, it was linked to by Fox News, and everyone knows that all Republicans are required to watch Fox News every single day, right? Wrong.”
Well it was also covered by every other MSM outlet and quite a few right wing blogs.
It was also covered right here at Political Punch.
And even when told that fact several times, the poster insisted it was never released.
And your response is of course to defend the poster wallowing in their willful ignorance.

“Hoe easy it is for some to claim “cooked” intelligence when after many years there is no evidence of that”
There is plenty of evidence that the Bush admin cooked the intelligence.
And when Joe Wilson exposed that, the right wing went after his wife.

“Show us the evidence that Bush deliberately “cooked” the intelligence evidence.. Thanks”
“A GOP congressional leader who was wavering on giving President Bush the authority to wage war in late 2002 said Vice President Cheney misled him by saying that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had direct personal ties to al-Qaeda terrorists and was making rapid progress toward a suitcase nuclear weapon, according to a new book by Washington Post investigative reporter Barton Gellman.”