June 15, 2009

6/15: The Revolution Will Be Blogged

Throughout the weekend, bloggers were transfixed by the disputed election in Iran, which resulted in massive protests and a subsequent government crackdown. Many bloggers (Sullivan, Klein, Allahpundit, Kleiman) are posting photos and videos of the violence. The overwhelming consensus among bloggers on the left (Uygur, Cole, Yglesias) and right (Hewitt, Lowry) is that the election was rigged in favor of Pres. Mahmoud Ahmadejinad.

Where conservative bloggers and liberal bloggers disagree is how Pres. Obama should respond to the situation. Righty bloggers want Obama to "[speak] out on behalf of the people rioting in the streets for freedom" and deliver some "forceful, blunt talk directed at [Mohammad] Khamenei, Ahmadinejad and their allies". Lefty bloggers, on the other hand, think that Obama would only hurt the protesters' cause by forcefully criticizing the ruling regime. Hilzoy writes: "I can't imagine anything more counterproductive than doing anything to make it easier for Ahmedinejad to cast the opposition as American puppets, especially given our history in Iran."

What else is happening in the blogosphere?

• Liberal bloggers (Farley, Benen, Dayen, Willis) and conservative bloggers (Hewitt, Riehl) are both complaining about the cable news networks' limited coverage of the Iranian election.
• Liberal bloggers (Aravosis, Sudbay, digby, Hamsher) are accusing Obama of betraying the gay community after DoJ lawyers defended the Defense of Marriage Act, which "prevents couples in states that recognize same-sex unions from securing Social Security spousal benefits, filing joint taxes and other federal rights of marriage" (and which Obama pledged to repeal during his campaign).
• Conservative bloggers (York, Malkin, Hinderaker, Reynolds) are accusing Obama of firing inspector general Gerald Walpin for corrupt reasons.
• Conservative bloggers (Malkin, Geraghty, Reynolds) are criticizing Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) after the Hartford Courant reported that "a new appraisal of [Dodd's] Irish cottage...concludes that it is worth about three times as much as Dodd has been reporting on his financial disclosure forms."

OBAMA: Say Something, Mr. President!

Conservative bloggers are criticizing Obama for not speaking out more forcefully about the situation in Iran:

• Right Wing News' John Hawkins: "If Barack Obama were a real leader, if he had any courage, if he cared about freedom, he would be speaking out on behalf of the people rioting in the streets for freedom -- not staying mute on the sidelines, while a nuclear-bomb-making hostile theocracy is teetering on the brink. This is a moment for leadership, but unfortunately Barack Obama is just another empty suit, not a real leader of men."
• NRO's Victor Davis Hanson: "If Obama were wise, he would get out pronto a statement condemning the anti-democratic violence of the Iranian government, and suggesting it follow the Iraq example of free and internationally inspected elections. At some point, one should see that moral equivalence and multicultural non-judgementalism, however catchy for the moment, are as stupid as they are amoral, and will put the U.S in a foolish, 'make it up as we go along' position."
• Townhall's Hugh Hewitt: "I am hoping for two things in President Obama's speech to the AMA Monday. First, that he begin with an honest review of the past 72 hours in Iran that includes a demand upon the mullahs and their thugs that human rights be respected as protests grow. Forceful, blunt talk directed at Khamenei, Ahmadinejad and their allies will encourage the opposition and also cue the MSM to continue the coverage as best it can of the crack-down underway in Tehran and other cities."
• The Weekly Standard's Stephen F. Hayes: "[Obama] does not need to call openly for an uprising, but he should be taking the accounts of reporters and our intelligence operatives in Iran and broadcasting them to the world. He should be amplifying the voices of the Iranians who have, once again, been deprived of any say in how they will be governed, and using them to pressure the Iranian regime at a time when it is plainly very fragile."
• Townhall's Carol Platt Liebau: "Will [Obama] choose a course designed to embolden those brave enough to speak out against the mullahs and attempt to secure their protection -- or will he allow them and their aspirations to be brutally abused by Ahmadinejad, because he's afraid of the fallout? So far, his words have not been encouraging for those who love freedom. And will anyone in the MSM be brave enough to ask Obama where he stands?"

OBAMA II: This Probably Isn't The Best Time For The President To Open His Mouth

Liberal bloggers strongly disagree with their conservative counterparts about how Obama should respond to the situation in Iran. Lefty bloggers believe that Obama would only hurt the protesters' cause by criticizing the regime:

• BooMan: "[G]iven the United States' history with Iran, there is almost nothing sincere that Obama can say that will actually help those people in the streets. Any sign of sympathy from America is likely to undermine the advocates of democracy."
• Firedoglake's Spencer Ackerman: "In my previous post, I wondered whether the Obama administration would need to make a stronger statement about Iranian electoral fraud or consider other measures for dealing with the regime. The strongly anti-Ahmedinejad Hadi Ghaemi, New York-based spokesman for the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, explains why that's a mistake. [...] 'We should not have the U.S. lead,' says Ghaemi. Instead, the Iranian people have to lead, and the international community, with the U.S. in a background and muted role, ought to refuse acceptance of the regime's contentions, and not offer positive endorsements of the dissidents and the protesters."
• Obsidian Wings' hilzoy: "Ackerman details some of the criticism Obama's approach is getting from people who would like to see us come down clearly on the side of the demonstrators, along with the view of Iranian human rights activists that this would be an enormous mistake. They know a lot more than I do, obviously, but for what it's worth, I completely agree. I can't imagine anything more counterproductive than doing anything to make it easier for Ahmedinejad to cast the opposition as American puppets, especially given our history in Iran."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: The Tragedy In Iran

Obsidian Wings' publius:

"[T]hese stories [from Iran] make me grateful for the stability of our own government. In America, our political fights -- which can get quite nasty -- take place upon an invisible foundation of legitimacy and stability. We have the luxury of ignoring this foundation and pretending it doesn't exist. Politics is a fight for power, always -- but we are fortunate enough to fight things out within an underlying structural framework that enjoys widespread acceptance.

It's only when you see the alternative -- when you see the cruel and brutal repression in Iran -- that our own underlying framework becomes visible. In Iran, the fight has now spilled out beyond its predefined channels. It now threatens to become that most fundamental of political fights -- a fight over the very foundation of government. And historically, these fights tend to be bloody."

LEST WE FORGET: Machiavellian White House Groundskeeper Gaining Influence Among West Wing Staff

From The Onion:

"WASHINGTON -- In one of the most startling horticultural power plays to strike the executive branch in years, conniving groundskeeper Irv Williams is gaining sway over the West Wing staff, anonymous sources said Tuesday. The 83-year-old has reportedly used his favor to place aides in prime gardening posts, silence hostile landscapers, and manipulate his way into daily classified security briefings. 'It started with a few tiny water elms along the edge of the property, and then there was a koi pond, the zinnias, and that ficus he gave [Press Secretary Robert] Gibbs,' said one source, peering over his shoulder. 'Now he's taking late night meetings with the attorney general to address "concerns" he has about the president's ability to pick perennials. Christ have mercy on every last one of us.' Sources close to Williams said he will stop at nothing, or when he gets a new watering can."

Posted by Ian Faerstein at June 15, 2009 01:03 PM