"And Mousavi is the Obama of Iran."

[Clio the Leo]

I suppose this is a small swipe at the President but it's worth it for the final line. (Although not a huge deal as we all know the farther away the President appears to be from this the better, at least in the short term.)

This according to Moussavi's external spokesman Mohsen Makhmalbaf.

FP: There has been growing criticism here in Washington that U.S. President Barack Obama hasn't said or done enough to support those demonstrating in the streets of Iran. Do you think Obama is being too careful? Or even that he is helping Ahmadinejad by being cautious?

MM: Obama has said that there is no difference between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi. Does he like it himself saying that there is no difference between Obama and Bush? Ahmadinejad is the Bush of Iran. And Mousavi is the Obama of Iran.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=5018

[Droogie666]

1. Agreed.

Agreed.

[TomCADem]

2. Irony: GOP and RW Press Is Trying To Use Uprising To Paint Obama's Speech As A Failure

Yet, the fact that there has been such a moderate uprising in Iran, combined with vote in Labanon, underscores the success of Obama's efforts to demonstrate to the Islamic world that America is not the Great Satan, and that the U.S. is ready to treat Islamic nations with respect.

This poses a problem for extremists (both at home and abroad) who rely on xenophobia and fear to consolidate their power. Prior to the Iranian election, right wing commentators were hoping for an Ahmadinejad victory otherwise a Mousavi victory would validate Obama's approach. Now, with Iranians staging protests against evidence of vote fraud such as Mousavi losing in his hometown by a wide margin (sort of like McCain whuppin Obama in Chicago), right wing extremists are now saying that the rallies underscore Obama's foreign policy failure.

Sadly, given the nature of the protests, President Obama really can't take an overt stance on the election. Thus, this gives the GOP free reign to attack President Obama for his alleged inaction.

[Clio the Leo]

3. Yep, let him stick to strong-arming Twitter.

Works for me.

[Oregone]

4. Mousavi is just another theocratic asshole

[Indenturedebtor]

7. Yep. They have Clerics we have the DOW

And we all dance dance dance. Boogie down Iran... boogie down :thumbsup:

[Phx_Dem]

5. An Iranian writes this to Andrew Sullivan. Interesting . . .

I'm not posing the entire comment since it's Andrew's reader. Go to the link to read his entire (but short) remark.


"I think Obama's Mousavi-Ahmadinejad comparison is strategically brilliant." <SNIP>

"From Mousavi's perspective, being mildly put down by Obama shows that he's not a secret puppet of the US government. It lets him show his nationalist credentials. This defuses Supreme Leader Khamenei's main attack on the Islamist reformers."


http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/06/the-mousaviahmadinejad-connection-ctd.html

[TomCADem]

6. Are You Suggesting That Obama Should Not Pull A McCain...

...and declare that we are all Iranians now?

Speaking of which, what is the Georgian President up to these days? Leading a free and democratic Georgia?