This Week: Lindsey Graham calls Obama "timid, passive" on Iran
By Nicole Belle Sunday Jun 21, 2009 11:00am
On one level, it's amusing to watch the Republicans as they're given carte blanche on the news shows to desperately grasp for those last little bits of relevance for their party; flailing about, looking for some little nugget to hold on to in order to try to raise the party out of its death spiral. On the other hand, it's just damn annoying to see the inanity and cluelessness of their tactics.
For example, Sen. Lindsey Graham, appearing on This Week, just has to criticize the Obama administration for their response to the Iranian elections. If you're on the social media sites (and are dumb enough--like me--to keep tabs on conservatives), this is a recurring meme: Obama needs to do more about the Iranian elections.
GRAHAM: He’s certainly moving in the right direction, but our point is that there is a monumental event going on in Iran, and you know, the President of the United States is supposed to lead the free world, not follow it. Other nations have been more outspoken, so I hope that we’ll hear more of this, because the young men and women taking the streets in Tehran need our support. The signs are in English. They are basically asking for us to speak up on their behalf.
Sigh. Huckleberry Graham displays the kind of American exceptionalism thinking that took the Republicans right out of office. There is absolutely NO need for Barack Obama to step into the middle of the Iranian elections and about 70 million reasons why we should not: the population of Iran must be the ones to determine their fate. Democracy is not brought from the outside, but birthed from the inside.
It's sad that the term "empathy" gets so much scorn from Republicans. I hope it's that chronic inability to see things from anywhere but one's own narrow point of view that will send the GOP the way of the Whigs. Can you imagine the outrage these Republicans, so recently concerned with fair elections, would feel if say, Saudi Arabia had commented on the results of either the 2000 or 2004 elections? I'm willing to bet dollars to doughnuts that Graham has absolutely no idea of how American meddling has contributed to the state of politics in Iran already and how dangerous it would be for the population there to have us appear to be taking sides. Even George Freakin' Will understands this:
On ABC's "This Week" earlier, George Will, hardly a liberal ally of the president, noted that he's heard the criticism of the Obama administration's tactics regarding Iran, and he finds it unpersuasive.
"The president is being roundly criticized for insufficient, rhetorical support for what's going on over there. It seems to me foolish criticism. The people on the streets know full well what the American attitude toward the regime is. And they don't need that reinforced."
Ben Armbruster noted that Peggy Noonan, another prominent conservative, also rejected the criticism aimed at the president. "To insist the American president, in the first days of the rebellion, insert the American government into the drama was shortsighted and mischievous," she wrote, adding that "the ayatollahs were only too eager to demonize the demonstrators as mindless lackeys of the Great Satan Cowboy Uncle Sam, or whatever they call us this week."
And further, and bless them for this, Iranians make a differentiation between the American people and the American government. Iranians actually like Americans. And they know we are supporting them. One look at Twitter and the sea of green avatars (signifying support for the protesters) and the people all over the world changing their location/time stamps to Tehran and creating proxy addresses to facilitate information getting out as the government clamped down on journalists and internet access shows that we ARE supportive and we do want their voices heard.
But sadly, there's still airtime for those petty, useless, partisan detractors like Lindsay Graham.
Transcripts below the fold
STEPHANOPOULOS: And Senator Graham, let me begin with you. Your friend Senator John McCain and many other Republicans were pressuring the president all week long to take a harder line on Iran. Did he get it right with that statement yesterday?
GRAHAM: He’s certainly moving in the right direction, but our point is that there is a monumental event going on in Iran, and you know, the President of the United States is supposed to lead the free world, not follow it. Other nations have been more outspoken, so I hope that we’ll hear more of this, because the young men and women taking the streets in Tehran need our support. The signs are in English. They are basically asking for us to speak up on their behalf.
And I appreciate what the president said yesterday, but he’s been timid and passive more than I would like, and I hope he will continue to speak truth to power.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But Senator, you know what the White House has said in response. They say that they don’t want to become the players in this fight and actually make the protesters seem like they’re tools of the United States. Henry Kissinger agrees with the White House.
GRAHAM: Well, these people are not tools of anyone. They’re the ones getting killed. No one in America is getting killed over there. Any time America stands up for freedom, we’re better off. When we try to prop up dictators or remain silent, it comes back to bite us.
You know, Ronald Reagan spoke in front of the Berlin wall, he said tear it down, he’s ready to negotiate. When he was silent on the 1986 election in the Philippines, said there was fraud on both sides, that hurt the cause, so I would -- I would hope that the president would speak truth to power.
This regime is corrupt. It has blood on its hands in Iran. They’ve killed Americans in Iraq, innocent Iraqi people; now they’re killing their own people. Stand up with the protesters. That’s not meddling. That’s doing the right thing.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Senator Dodd, has the president been timid and passive, as Senator Graham says?
DODD: No, not at all. He’s the president of the United States. He’s not a member of the Senate or a columnist. He’s got a very delicate path to walk here. I think he’s been strong. You don’t want to become -- you don’t want to take ownership of this. The worst thing we could do at this moment for these reformers, these protesters, these courageous people in Tehran, is allow the government there to claim that this is a U.S.-led opposition, a U.S.-led demonstration.
This is 1979 in many ways all over again, and these are remarkable people doing remarkable things. The president has spoken out strongly. We adopted unanimously I think the other day, Lindsey, a resolution on the floor of the Senate in support of what the protesters are trying to achieve. I think it’s clear to them that we stand as a nation behind their efforts. And the president I think is handling this job as well as any president could, and that is speaking out against the unjust activities that are occurring, the violence that’s being brought against these protesters, the deaths that are occurring. That’s exactly the right message for an American president, but not taking ownership of this.
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OK there, senator. let's get your neocon ass on the next plane out. you can go and show them the way. the way to the local dance club, that is.
you are a disgusting little man with the backbone of a limpet. like a limpet, you suck all the life out of the people who support you. and who knows what else.
if you need any reference, have a look at every TV appearance you have ever made. and stop whining about you not getting your earmark for free flirtinis at the watergate hotel on tuesdays and on broadway during fleet week.
who sold his soul years ago
Repukes are always about the "hard line" and "line in the sand" platitudes but when push comes to shove it's someone elses kids that end up in the "front line". Mofos
use the word "support" without specific - and I mean SPECIFIC - reference to what that support would consist of.
Not one of these bullshit artists has yet given ONE thing, one actual thing, that we're not doing that we should be. They hide behind the word "support."
Tell us what we should be DOING to "support" what's going on in Iran. With actual, concrete nouns and transitive verbs.
They "support" the troops but try to make them pay for their own recoveries. Now they "support" the people they were singing about bombing a year ago.
Either they don't know what "support" means, or they know what it means but they also know that no one on a Sunday talk show will ever say "You have no fucking idea what you're talking about, do you? Get off my show now, and you will not be invited back."
I don't care which one it is. Either one is good enough to be excluded from the national discourse.
These GOP morons have all the time to criticize and condemn but no time to suggest solutions---because they have none. They equate criticism with a solution---what a laugh. Another example---the budget---here's the GOP plan---a budget without any concrete numbers. Hardy har har.
Time for these republidroids to put up or shut up.
Thank goodness his buddy John ain't in office, or who knows what hell would be breaking loose right now as he runs around like a bull in a China shop. At least we have a president who knows when to be quiet. What a tool Graham is.
We know what McCain's responce to Iran would be had he won back in November:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-zoPgv_nYg
he knows how to get bin Laden. He hasn't exactly been forthcoming, has he?
fully committed in Iraq and Afghanistan, ol' John would bust in there with what? Cindy's private plane??
Obama a “sissy”.
Look up Lindsay Graham on the site NNDP mapping http://www.nndb.com to see what is listed under sexual orientation.
project the aura of forceful, decisive manhood. More than just sayin'...
Right now we have 2 million Axis Of Evil Tshirts and 20 million CD's of John McCains Bomb, Bomb Bomb Iran ready for immediate shipment to Iran and Exxon Mobile and the Cia are working up Oil lease agreements
.
Dear Senator Graham,
America is a Nation of Laws, not what?
.
Graham is an idiot. He always has been and always will be. If he were from any other state, he most likely would have been a one termer.
As far as the "timid" remark, isn't that like the sissy calling a homosexual "gay?"
But that doesn't stop them from trying.
"the President of the United States is supposed to lead the free world, not follow it."
Did he say it because he is ignorant of the principles of leadership?
Did he say it because he is ignorant of Iranian history?
Did he say it because he is ignorant of the Constitutional obligations and limits of the US President?
...?
We'll never know, but we can probably all agree the Graham Cracker is ignorant.
I think Graham may be smart enough to realize that he is an endangered species.
He is the president of the United States not the president of the world. Look at the mess f*cking Bush got us into acting like HE was the president of the world. Let's fix our own messes here at home.
Everything is always so easy for conservatives because their minds are so narrow they only see 2 choices about everything in their black or white, with us or your not, world. No shades of gray for them... no rainbows either.
Any Republican who says Obama is soft on Iran should be asked why they looked the other way when Bush didn't boycott China during the Olympics.
. . . in not giving a S**t about anything this self loathing wad has to say.
Thanks and Happy Fathers Day to all.
When I see Lindsey Graham I think of a pasty southern aristocrat with a white columned house and a plantation full of slaves. "Colonel" Graham has probably never worked a day in his air conditioned, fine Corinthian leather, southern fried life.
The United States needs to be careful about what we say and do in Iran. Even George Will agrees.
reminds me of that Bugs Bunny cartoon with the southern white suit clad colonel calling his large dog over.
exactly!
claim that someone else is being timid. I mean he's a guy with a girl's name! What strange names these GOP'ers have; Lindsey, Newt, Scooter, Grover...
How can anyone take them seriously?
I mean seriously, Newt? W. T. F?
we should allow the rest of the world to try to solve their own problems. If there was mass killing happening then and only then should we and allies get involved.
It would seem, that all that time Lindsey Graham spends sitting in his closet is NOT wasted. I think he has a thesaurus in there with him.
Unfortunately it's not really making him smarter.
*
This man is disgusting, I think his lizard-like reptilian face reflects his low life existence. He has been in Washington for far too long, never once contributing to any semblance of a solution, only to the whining and complaining of the Republican cry babies who are 100% devoted to the big corporations and lobbyists. Graham and his ilk need to have their ugly asses kicked out of Washington and replaced with true representives of the people. Graham is a red neck hick who thinks "God" is on his side, and we know what kind of twisted logic that is and what kind of destructive politics it engenders.
just how many Iranian refugees he thinks the US should accept after his policy of intervening in Iran. Typically this sort of intervention takes the form of a call to rise up against their oppressors with vague unfulfilled promises of aid (Hungary, Czechoslovakia) followed by an exodus of the survivors after the uprising in suppressed. The truth is it would probably be kinder for the current administration to follow last week's Republican policy and just bomb the hell out of them.
In Feb. 1991, during the Gulf War, President George H.W. Bush called on Kurds and Shi'ites in Iraq to rise up against Saadam, which they did. But H.W. stood by and did nothing while Saddam's military brutally crushed the rebellion, killing over 20,000 people.
Now that is how the republicans support freedom.
Thanks for the reminder Sammy 67. Another example of the Republicans eternal strategy of "Why don't you and him go fight, I'll hold your coat."
projecting a tad there, Graham? of course you are. if you GOPers actually had ideas that worked, and followed your own conservative principles the last 4 years perhaps you wouldnt have lost two consecutive elections, RESOUNDINGLY. this is more of the same tonedeafness we've come to know and expect from them. there they go ignoring the US/IRAN history and how we've meddled too often in Iran's business, usually to a bad end. but never mind history, it's just an inconvenient truth. Obama is handling this just right. and the time will come for tougher talk but not now.
Politico is not the place where you want to go to for an engaging conversation; what you will find is ignorance and stupidity closely associated with some in the Republican Party which can no doubt be linked to the mentality of the corrupt governing of Iran. And it's so funny watching these Republican Politicians pretend they care about the Iranian citizens in the street fighting for the right to let their votes be heard, when we all know what this is really about and that's damage control of who they have finally been exposed to be, the world identify them as not with the people in the street fighting for freedom, the republicans are identified with the fraudulently elected President Ahmadinejad and the Conservative Regime that controls Iran.
We know this, Americans have had to deal with an Ahmadineja and a Conservative Regime for 8 years and in fact, we still have a few in congress who I previously stated are now trying to camouflage themselves as people who are for free elections and who are for fair elections; but people don’t be fooled by this, the Republican Party is more in-line with the current regime in Iran than anything happening in their streets; and it is in the Republicans Party and the Conservative Iranians best interest to keep each other in power, because without the other, they can in no way survive as we are bearing witness to this right now.
GOP enablers. Believe anything they post at your own risk.
I did not watch the clip today.
I don't have to. I already know the gest of what he had to say.
All the talking points laid out in standard idiot fashion.
Obama isn't tough enough, he's coddling the terrorists, george bush kept us safe,if they locked up all the mentally ill people there would be no republican party.
Oh I guess I put that one in.
republicanism is a mental illness!
if your guy had gotten his way he would have blown the fuck out of Iran.
So, go fuck yourself.
in the name of "liberating" the people
cuz a dead iranian is truly free
these people are clueless and psychotic
Senator Graham, in the words of Bill O'Reilly, please, "shut up!" Just shut up.
These durned repugs are just trying to score political points against Obama. Their guy Bush didn't get anywhere with his tough guy, cowboy approach, and, in fact, made things worse.
Some republicans, including Henry Kissinger and Senator Lugar, are saying Obama is doing the right thing. You also see some prominent Iranians saying the same thing.
By the way, Nicole, I was watching twitterfall.com last night when I saw one "Nicole Belle" scroll by. I saw some of your comments to conservatives, including I think Gingrich....keep up the good work!
What's he thinking, send in some drones to take out the mullahs/ayatollahs/Ahmedinejad???
correction
lindsey is a fucking idiot
those who judge and criticize and have nothing better to offer as an alternative. So Lindsay, my advice to you political yellowbellies at the GOP:
Time for you pissants at the GOP to put up or shut up. What's your god damn plan? What is it? Bring it on!
when he hung the revolution out to dry which led us to the second gulf war
the days of cowboy diplomacy are over
and the people of iran dont need the prez to be a cheerleader
this is more nonsense by the right. this country has a 5-6 decade history of meddling in irans' affairs.
from a coupe to sanctions. president obama is letting the iranian people speak. we've been told over and over freedom isn't for free. president obama is a patient and calculating intellect.
they need to stfu
oh, and kissenger agrees with how obama is handling the situation
We all know that there's nothing gutsier than sitting safely in Washington and ranting loudly about Iran. Very helpful. Of course, the real issue here is the Republicans' one core belief, that whatever Obama does he's wrong. If Obama stepped up the rhetoric (as Graham seems to be suggesting) they would still criticize. These people will never be satisfied.
The day this guy grows a pair and comes out of the closet is when I will listen to his calling another man timid and afraid.
Let me translate Graham's rant....
"why aren't we bombing Iran? You know John McCain's song, right? Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran! We need to intervene in the situation, bomb the crap out of them, and then the unrest will center around America, not Ahmejamand, then the Iranians will unite against us, and, um, forget I said that. Let's talk about gay marriage for now, oh, wait, forget that one. Uh, I have to go now."
here's what u do lindy [may i call you lindy?], you take your whiney ass and lieberman's whiney ass over to iran, and report back to mccain. then Mccain, can doom the movement by telling the world that we all all "Iranians." so what it didn't work out in Georgia, its the monumentally stupid platitudes the count.
what the hell is wrong with you people?
why haven't you ousted lindsey graham?
you live in a mostly conservative, christian state.
you have a senator graham who helped organize THE CORONATION OF REVEREND MOON AS SUPREME MESSIAH OF THE UNIVERSE.
you have a senator in graham who admitted in 2004 the u.s. is GUILTY OF INTERNATIONAL WAR CRIMES.
this same senator is now trying to shove legislation through that COVERS UP INTERNATIONAL WAR CRIMES.
Pirates kidnap an American....... they get killed/captured.
Bin Ladin kills several thousand Americans on 9-11..... Bush says: "I don't know where he is.You know, I just don't spend that much time on him. I truly am not that concerned about him."
[President Bush, Press Conference, 3/13/02]
After the Somali pirate incident OBAMA WAS SUPPOSED TO INVADE IRAN!! You libtards need to start using logic.
/snark
Wasn't Graham the guy that axed Glass-Steagal and brought down the banking system for his short sighted friends @ UBS?
...
Why is he still a Senator FFS?
Phil Gramm.
Don't worry, Lindsay. The US, and thus Obama, is already showing signs that they're willing to be very involved in Iran, if the wall-to-wall media coverage is any indication. The US completely ignores events of even greater magnitude and drama in other countries, completely omitting them from its newscasts, yet they've been going on and on about Iran, a sign that they're up to something. I surmise that the CIA is already in there helping stir up opposition to Ahmadinejad while making sure the US media is saturated with the story, and it's likely a prelude to US or Israeli attack. The dramatic media coverage in the US will insure that the US public supports military action. Meanwhile, even worse things are going on in the Congo and Colombia and elsewhere, but the US media won't cover those at all because US interests are responsible for the misery there. Paul Craig Roberts has recently talked more about this and I think he's right.
Obama is boxing clever. Read some of the tweets. The Iranian government is claiming that Mousavi and his supporters are US puppets. Any clear expression of support from the US would be taken as vindication of those claims. As it is now, no-one but the most desperate government supporters can claim that this movement is not by Iranians, of Iranians, for Iranians.
It's possible that Obama's comment that the US wouldn't see much difference between Mousavi and Ahmadinejad (which I was a bit offended by too) and Mousavi's offended response to it, is all part of the plan. I'm not saying that's what's happening - just that it's possible.
There is a sophisticated game of bluff and counter bluff going on here. If the "send the marines" crowd are a bit too dull to understand that, well that's no great surprise.
http://boingboing.net/2009/06/16/cyberwar-gui...
if we took to the streets with signs in Iranian, would the Iranians have supported our efforts against Bush stealing the election?
Whatever happened to "Politics ends at the water's edge"? The Dixie Chicks were, well, DIXIE CHICKED for merely mentioning that they were embarrassed that George W. was from Texas because they (Gasp) said it overseas in front of a foreign audience.
Now this limp-wrist in a translucent closet is calling Obama weak? Should we invade a THIRD country to "instill Democracy"?
Lindsgay the word is "government" not "guvment"
about the so-called news media giving the republicans so much access to the airwaves to disparage the President?
Letters to the shows have no effect and are probably not even read.
As for Graham, does he have any offsprings that should be serving in the militry? I have done extensive research on the republicans and the gasbags polluting the TV in an attempt to find out who has served in the military and whether their offsprings serve.have served in the military. But can't find anything on Graham.
This CLOWN with nothing but hatred for anyone who disagrees with him and who can't even pronounce words correctly (one of the reasons the Racist Nazi Committee wants to dummy down America)anyway this fool who backed hook line and sinker the WORST president ever appointed by the Supreme Court and Fixed ballot box election Ohio, is going to comment on a REAL Leader who is approaching the problem the same as I would and many of the world leaders. Just explain to me again how a Fecal matter for brain Idiot like this gets into office, for he sure doesn't understand the real world what does SUPPORT mean oh GUTLESS one never any specifics just no commitment like your GUTLESS party.
the Iranians to hold the 52 American hostages until after he was sworn into office before releasing them. Raygun and his black-op used the hostages to win the election and because of the deal he made with the Iranians the hostages were held longer.
This from one of the thousands and thousands and thousands of sites discussing Iran + Raygun + Hostages.
"On Jan. 20, 1981, the day of President Reagan's inauguration, the United States released almost $8 billion in Iranian assets and the hostages were freed after 444 days in Iranian detention; the agreement gave Iran immunity from lawsuits arising from the incident".
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A082544...
Now this is how republicans support democracy.
Remember Iran Contra?
This is another way republicans support democracy.
I remember the good old days when Ahmadinejad would open his mouth and oil prices would jump. Now the country is about to explode, and oil is JUST FINE.
Obama's position is the right one. The US can not let the Iranian regime blame the US for the opposition movement. There is a related post at http://iamsoannoyed.com/?p=1894
The Iranians have the courage to go out and protest under threat of death for their democratic rights. Take note America. You can see we shouldn't put crap on the Iranian people but to their despotic leaders. There is a difference- next time you hear the extreme right call for the bombing of Iran, these are the people that they are wanting to harm.
Graham is an idiot. We already knew that. This is just further proof.
Yeah, Huckleberry, let's jump right into Iran and stick our nose where we don't belong again.
Gawdalmighty, does this half-wit never learn?
This from the same asshole that not so long ago was oh-so-willing to blast the shit out of all Iranians, and now this mealy-mouthed fuck has the balls to pretend he's a friend to the protesters.
Piss off, Huck. Thank God we have a President who has the brains to reason out all alternatives without resorting to military action first.
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