Obama Remarks to Iranian People: 'The World is Watching'
The Big Picture posts a moving and startling set of photographs from Iran. Andrew Sullivan has been doing an amazing job at covering opinion and multimedia surrounding the recent presidential elections since the protests began this weekend. Above, a backer of Mousavi helps evacuate an injured riot-police officer during riots on Saturday.
Obama made a statement about the elections this afternoon. Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...
Posted Jun. 15,2009 at 7:52 PM EST by Andy Towle in Barack Obama, Iran, News | Permalink
I was worried he was going to say too much, and near the end he almost did. Obviously he's being very careful, and as US president he has to say something. But it should be as little as possible, or it will not help the Iranians or us.
Posted by: Paul R | Jun 15, 2009 8:04:45 PM
Once again Obama votes "Present".
Posted by: paul c | Jun 15, 2009 8:08:02 PM
I think Obama said just the right things. He has to walk a fine line and did that with that statement.
Posted by: sam | Jun 15, 2009 8:16:13 PM
My God, that Pro-Mousavi March In Tehran is over 5 miles long! I'm very moved by these courageous people.
Posted by: ichabod | Jun 15, 2009 8:19:04 PM
Paul C
Cheney's cock is waiting for you to suck it
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Obama has irked me (pc way of saying pissed me off) recently on gay issues, BUT today he reinvigorated my former support of him.
He did it exactly right! Spot on
He basicaly blessed the protests without providing PR fodder for ahmandine-crazy to screach "America is attacking me"
not too much and not too little, just right
He was so right, "We are watching" and the praise flooding around for Andrew Sullivan's coverage makes me giddy over the irony. Ab open gay helping the cause man who Ahmandinecrazy swears and be damns do not exist in Iran
:-)
DKOS, Andrew Sullivan, Huffpo, and CNN today (they totaly stepped up today after lagging behind over the weekend)are covering this thing in amazing ways
The revolution will be twitterized
Posted by: jimmyboyo | Jun 15, 2009 8:23:26 PM
andrew sullivan's coverage is like pulitzer.
Posted by: adam | Jun 15, 2009 8:24:48 PM
PS
It would be so great for Biden to wear a green tie tomorrow. If anyone in the administration could show solidarity with the reformists and get away with it , Good old Joe would be the one.
"This old thing. I'm part irish and wear green all the time"
:-)
Posted by: jimmyboyo | Jun 15, 2009 8:27:22 PM
I feel your pain Iran. I felt the same way after the Supreme Court appointed Bush in 2000, even though he lost the popular vote.
Posted by: Georgiaguy | Jun 15, 2009 11:05:48 PM
"reformist"? Juan Cole leads me to believe that all these groups are variations of the same. I never expected a "Prague Spring" in Tehran.
Andy Sullivan? Where the hell was he in 2000?
Posted by: hadassah weinreb | Jun 15, 2009 11:41:28 PM
This Stealection is proving Twitter's worth, http://bit.ly/UVPmW.
Posted by: nebben | Jun 16, 2009 12:58:22 AM
List of Iran newspapers, tv radio and media http://www.enewsreference.com/newspaper/iran.htm
Posted by: eNews Reference | Jun 16, 2009 1:02:31 AM
Yes, Mr. President the world is watching Iran and it is watching the US to see how long we hypocritically defend torture and deny equality to gay citizens. More that that, we are watching -- and we will not vote for you again!
Posted by: Bruce Mayhall | Jun 16, 2009 2:27:14 AM
This is a very serious issue, and I've been glued to Sullivans reports all day... but I'd like to take a moment to point something out. The pro Mousavi protester helping out that riot cop is BEAUTIFUL. How can I get rescued by someone like him???
Sorry, was that in bad taste?
Posted by: Scott | Jun 16, 2009 2:35:41 AM
What the green shirt is *doing* is beautiful. Somebody raised him right.
Posted by: Jeff | Jun 16, 2009 7:30:54 AM
Man this guy is a smart politician! He knows how to pick and choose him words and always comes out victorious. I really wish he would say something on the situation with gays worldwide. Anyway, I like that he is reaching out to the disappointed Iranians. Now those are the reasons I voted for him and will probably vote for him again.
Posted by: doro | Jun 16, 2009 8:27:08 AM
John McCain was on the Today show honking about the Iranian election. He wanted President Obama to sabre rattle about the situation - which in the end would only benefit Ahmadinejad.
Obama's been disappointing on gay issues so far, but he's shown excellent judgement everywhere else. Thank God McCain's not President.
Posted by: Hank Drake | Jun 16, 2009 8:57:12 AM
hassah
variants of the same?
LOL
Put down cole and pick up Richard Cohen. Cohen is a conservative so he is not one to swoon easily about the possibility of change / reform
Stated stands of Mousavi and reofrmists
- Recgonize existence of Israel
- denial of the holocaust is foolish
- want Iranian gov to STOP all financing and training of hezbollah in Lebanon
- want Iranian gov to stop all financing of palestinian suicide bombers
- face to face negotiations with US on nuke issue + many other issues
- more rights for women
---------------------------------
supposed manifesto circulating amongst reformists
- Ayatollah kahmenie OUT and replaced with Ayatollah Mesorvie (spell check) a LIBERAL cleric who yrs ago decalred it a sin for islamic countries to have WMDs, a sin to be a suicide bomber, peace with the west, states that islam demands full 100% equal footing of women with men
_ Ahmandinecrazy out and Mousavi a reformist conservative in. think mccain replacing cheney.
Posted by: jimmyboyo | Jun 16, 2009 11:41:34 AM
Word on the Iranian street (according to my friends there) is that no matter what, the call for a review of the election by Khamenei is not good news for Ahmadinejad, no matter what the result turns out to be. Things are happening. I have hope once again that massing and rallying and action by regular people who raise their voices as one can steer the course of history. There is a lesson to be learned from these courageous people.
Posted by: Andalusian Dog | Jun 16, 2009 11:44:39 AM
This is sort of like fighting over whether Fred Phelps or Pat Robertson should be president.
Posted by: anon | Jun 16, 2009 12:02:51 PM
anon
U r an idiot
Mousavi has publicly stated
-Accept Israel's right to exist
_end all financing and training of hezbollah in Lebanon
- end all gov support of palestinian suicide bombers
yeah a lot of the last 2 are so the gov can use the money instead to help their own country, but that is HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-open friendly discussions with the US
beyond huge and a complete and utter change
Posted by: jimmyboyo | Jun 16, 2009 1:20:26 PM
JB: your breathlessly naive posts are always a hoot. Thanks.
Posted by: anon | Jun 16, 2009 1:46:15 PM
I think that he has struck a fine balance. Any public statement he makes has international implications and could undercut the cause of the protestors. However, I am a bit perturbed by the press coverage of these events, first CNN's epic FAIL, now this subtle hinting that the results were somehow legit, check it out: http://www.newsy.com/videos/same_old_same_old
Posted by: @robotsoul | Jun 16, 2009 2:02:40 PM