Cantor: Obama’s “Silence” On Iran Is “Troubling”
GOP Rep Eric Cantor, perhaps feeling the competition from Twitter-happy GOP colleagues, has now started tweeting heavily, and in a tweet moments ago, he expressed solidarity with the Iranian opposition and hit Obama for “silence” on Iran:
Tehran violence is a horrible human tragedy. Administration silence is troubling.
Silence? Obama has said he has “deep concerns” about the Iranian election, and has also said he’s “deeply troubled” by the violence. But Obama has tried simultaneously to avoid being seen to be “meddling” in Iranian affairs.
I asked Cantor spokesperson Brad Dayspring what more Obama should be saying and doing, and he replied that the U.S. has a “moral responsibility” to “condemn the violence and abuses by the regime in Tehran.” Interestingly, this line is at odds with GOP Senator Dick Lugar and even Bush’s man in Iran, Nicholas Burns, who says Obama’s got the balance right.
What Cantor is saying here is the emerging GOP line on Iran, and it’ll be interesting when we start to hear from more members of the permanent D.C. military establishment on this. Prediction: This will be another case where the national security attacks on Obama from GOP officials put them at odds with that establishment, a trend that we’ve been seeing more and more of lately.
Substance aside, the moral of the story is that these days, any GOPer who’s anybody just has to be expressing solidarity with the Iranian opposition on Twitter.
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Actually, Obama’s public “silence” is exactly the right thing.
The problem here, as elsewhere, is Cantor’s noise. He should take lessons in silence from the master.
K in VA – co-sign.
Like I said yesterday – what is it they think he should do? And if he was issuing statements, Cantor would just say he shouldn’t be.
It doesn’t matter what Obama does or doesn’t do – they’re going to say it’s wrong.
And who cares? Cantor is irrelevant, just like the rest of the GOP these days.
I think I understand your point, Greg, but it is a bit jarring to read someone making jokes surrounding the opposition in Iran. I mean, grandmothers are being beaten over there and you’re making fun of those expressing solidarity with them?
O sbj get real – for heaven’s sake – talk about false outrage.
Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeit
Who’s outraged?
Solidarity? Being a minority opposition party who just lost control of the executive branch 6 months ago is hardly anything comparable to the plight of the Iranian people.
sbj — the funny part is that Twitter is now de rigeur, that GOPers are horning in on the Twitter action…and thx Tena
@Greg: Funny that the shoe now seems to be on the other foot regarding the use of modern communications tools. Be careful that you are not perceived as the one who is out of touch!
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More substantively, I thought Frum had a good take on Obama and his position regarding Iran: “If [Obama] persists now in his deal-making efforts, he’ll be acquiescing in fraud and violence . . . and if Obama tries do business with the regime afterward, he’ll open himself to . . . [the charge] . . . of coddling tyrants . . . Obama’s outreach to Iran has been slapped away. If the regime prevails in this power struggle, the American president will be left trapped and optionless.”
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http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/06/16/david-frum-iran-violence-leaves-obama-among-wounded.aspx
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At some point don’t we have to threaten consequences?
Consequences? For what? Yes Greg, we need to talk tough and act macho or we will be viewed as weak. And more substantively, who mentions Frum? Greg is talking about Repubs comparing themselves to oppressed peoples. Hardly are people who are in the minority opposition party that just lost control of the executive branch 6 months ago an oppressed people.
“At some point don’t we have to threaten consequences?”
Whew….thank goodness the “conservatives” are not in power!!! I use the ” because RESTRAINT regarding US military/foreign policy is the TRUE conservative viewpoint…not this “Nation-building/we will be greeted as liberators” ideology… Let’s just all (or almost all) be thankful that R’s are OUT right now…we are already involved in conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and if it was up to R’s we would be in conflicts with North Korea and Russia (”we are all Georgians now”) and by the way sbj, there are a lot more opinions from other conservatives, which disagree with Frum, about the situation in Iran and Obama’s handling of it…Cantor’s posturing for political points by way of the situation in Iran is NOT helpful to the GOP…it reminds people how thankful they are that McCain/Palin are not making foreign policy decisions for this Country.
“Consequences? For what?”
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Are you serious? Consequences for using violence against old ladies to put down peaceful opposition demonstrations. Even though it was Greg who used the term ’solidarity’ in this post (!), I would think that anyone could express solidarity with the Iranian opposition. (Do you contend that only Dems could express solidarity?)
It’s not up to us to decide how Iran handles this. We are not the world’s police. Why don’t we give consequences to China for beating down old ladies? This is just crazy.
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Expressing solidarity by claiming they too are oppressed, which is exactly what the GOP is doing, is deranged. But I thought it was the GOP who wanted to bomb, bomb, bomb Iran? Hard to express solidarity when you wish they were dead.
@JennD: By ‘consequences’ some might mean . . . oh, perhaps, hmmm, I don’t know . . . rescinding an open invitation to negotiate no matter how much blood is on your hands? Why do you persist in leaping to inane conclusions about what I am thinking? Where did I say anything about nation building? What conservative has called for the invasion of Iran due to this fraudulent election? And what did I write to indicate to you that I knew of no other conservative opinions about what Obama is now doing? Why not engage with the actual written word rather than what you seem to be dreaming in your feverish head that some imagined winger might say? What’s up with that?
only someone who has no clue about history would say we have to impose sanctions on Iran about what is going on. This is what the regime wants and cannot wait for. More importantly–Obama has not been ’silent’ he has been saying what he has to say if he had been keeping totally quiet this week I would say go ahead criticize but he has acted exactly in a manner that all democracy promoters (with experience, not the arm chair dreamers of the republican party) consider pitch perfect. Funny that the Frums, Kagans etc have never, one day int heir lives, done the hard work of democracy promotion on the ground and then spout off as if they know anything which they do *not*.
Also, Cantor states “silence troubling”…Silence???? The President HAS NOT been silent…he might not be saying the things that Cantor et al. would be saying…but that does not equate to silence, in fact, many are glad (conservatives included) that our President is not saying the things that Cantor et al. are saying…
sbj~ nice attempt to distract from the original point…i was not referring to you personally with the “nation-building” comment…that was a reference to the “nation-building/we will be greeted as liberators” ideology that seems to dominate the so-called “conservatives” right now…and here’s the thing…you and I totally disagree on the handling of United States foreign policy and CLEARLY United States foreign policy has been abysmal over the last eight years…so I don’t think I will validate what you consider an appropriate “consequence”, I will leave that to ones that have a more realistic world view.
More IDIOCY from some conservatives, only some…love how this GOP’r from California is talking and then the post points out a completely differing view from Pat B., Dick L., Mel M. and one of the Iranian hostages…Do these Cantor/Roerbach yahoos even realize how ridiculous they appear…they have NO credibility – Zero!!
All, Happy Hour open thread posted …
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/torture/happy-hour-roundup-dems-blast-hoekstras-iran-tweet/
sbj’s opinion, as usual, is a joke. Does he/she/it not remember just this past August/September? OUR police beat old ladies (Amy Goodman) in Minnesota exercising their Free Speech rights during the crackdown at the RNC. Sometimes I think the right says stuff just so we can point at them and laugh at their lack of memory.
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When are these crazy people going to realize that they don’t have the moral authority to tell anyone to do anything? They think torturing people (sorry, EIT) is ok! Frum can’t lecture anyone on democracy, his guy got less votes than the other guy in 2000 and still “won”!
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Clowns, the lot of ‘em. Sad Clowns that just hate and hate.
It’s eating them up that Iran will go truly democratic on Obama’s watch. The Iranians weren’t willing to revolt when Cheney/Bush were in charge, as they knew they would be handing the nation to their stooges; with Obama, they sense a win/win, in that they get their nation out of the hands of the mullahs, and get to rejoin the international community on terms that are honorable.
@williamc: Ohooh, I am so full of hate!
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I am so full of hate that I condemn police brutality wherever I see it, that I condemn the violent putdown of peaceful demonstrations, that I suggest that those who engage in bad actions should suffer consequences (even those on my own ’side’). (BTW, glad to see that you aren’t still bitter over losing in 2000.)
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Less name calling, please, or I shall take my ball and go home. I can’t recall calling your opinion a joke, calling you an ‘it,’ or calling you a clown. I’ve been civil – you’re being rude. Go on with your bad self, it makes you look small.
@sbj, no answer to my comments above, do you just pick and choose?
@Chris: Some folks get mad at me for responding too much. I did not say we should “decide how Iran handles this.” I said that we should consider if there is a point at which we will say, “Stop. Enough. We will refuse to engage with you in peaceful negotiations without preconditions if you persist in violently putting down a peaceful protest.” I believe that we should also condemn China for its anti-democratic actions. I am not so blind as to understand that we also have to engage with our enemies (China, Saudi Arabia) but I do believe that we can firm up our stance here just a bit. I never defended the GOPers who would claim they too are oppressed. McCain made the bomb Iran JOKE, not the GOP, so your point is . . . well, not only is it not a ‘point,’ it’s not even a funny joke. Not only do I NOT pick and choose but unlike many here I actually try to answer my harshest (sensible) critics without stooping to name-calling or stereotyping or imagining what might be going on in their heads. I am very fair – I simply disagree.
Maybe it’s just my being located behind the Redwood Curtain here in NoCal, but I don’t recall hearing shouts of outrage from any other heads of major states, either. Could it possibly be because it’s an internal Iranian issue, and not an international one?
Slightly OT, I did a little figuring, using the following wildly optimistic conditions and parameters:
Assuming that one person could count and tabulate one vote per second, and
There were 35,000,000 votes cast, and
The counting was done over a 12 hour period,
There would have to have been roughly 8,100,000 people counting votes.
Why isn’t anyone in the MS or alterative media pointing this out?
@sbj, so we should issue a statement containing consequences that will not impact how Iran handles this? Interesting. We should make demands to Iran but not demands that will decide how Iran handles the situation. Brilliant!
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McCain made the bomb Iran comment and was applauded by members of the GOP. After making the bomb Iran comment he was elected to be the Republican candidate for president, in which he would then serve as the leader of the Republican Party. So yes, let’s show our solidarity for the people we wish to bomb out of existence. I never called you a name, just asked why you didn’t answer me. You seemed to answer those who called you things but not me. Seemed like picking and choosing to me.
“I don’t recall hearing shouts of outrage from any other heads of major states, either.”
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Then you’re not listening. Both France and Germany, for starters, have issued stronger statements than ours.
@Chris – Do you understand that McCain made a joke?
@sbj, of course I understand it was merely Republican chest thumping, cheering on Glorious War. I understand it completely. It’s all about cheering on war without end and being tough, macho, manly men. Just like issuing consequences to Iran, but only consequences that won’t impact the outcome or how Iran handles this. It’s all about being tough.
@sbj- we obviously have different definitions of “shouts of outrage”. France and Germany issued statements, indeed, but they’re walking down the same diplomatic razor blade as all the other major countries. Hell, China’s being downright taciturn.
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Since you appear unwilling to back your comments with links, permit me to provide one (I have more, if you’re interested).
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http://www.rferl.org/content/World_Leaders_React_Cautiously_To_Iranian_Election/1754492.html
A point may come at which Obama says more. But it’s not there yet. I trust what he’s doing, and I think the Republicans are grandstanding. They may feel true solidarity and support for the people of Iran. I know I’m surprised and pleased to see that for once I’m in agreement with my Repub relatives on Facebook. But the Repub politicians are turning everything into gamesmanship. It’s ridiculous.
I’m guessing the folks who are “outraged” at President Obama’s “silence” are those brothers-under-the-skin Mullahs of Iran and Republicans of America.
The GOP leadership have apparently determined that the best way to make certain President Obama FAILS abroad as well as at home, is to make him appear to be a Republican!
WilliamC @ 5:26 pm… Amy Goodman’s not old — she’s 52 years old.
Ah, sbj “Do you understand that McCain made a joke?”
It wasn’t McCain who made a joke. It was his parents. And aren’t we glad that the joke lost the last election!!
Wow. A stupid and obstinate troll. Complete with talking points. How refreshingly original.