The right side of history: Obama stands up for "the courage and dignity of the Iranian people"

By Michael J.W. Stickings

I have defended Obama on Iran, I continue to defend him, and I'll defend him here. I tend to be quite hawkish (as a liberal) on democracy and freedom, and I would love to see Iran shake off the shackles of theocracy and tyranny and embrace liberty and diversity and the sovereignty of the people, but, unlike war-now neocons and the many other hawkish conservatives, I also realize that the world, and Iran especially, is complicated, and not so easily reducible to categories of good and evil. This is partly why the right-wing assault on Obama over Iran has been so thoroughly ridiculous. As I've argued, open meddling in internal Iranian affairs would hardly go over well in proud, nationalistic Iran:

It is easy to condemn Iran (and Obama) from the comfort of neocon certainty, easy to call for more to be done, for a harder line to be taken. The situation is much more challenging for Obama, who must deal with reality, and who must walk a fine line if he is to show his support for the opposition while not undermining it, not feeding into the regime's oppression, not giving the regime the justification it is looking for to crack down even harder than it has already.

Nonetheless, I have also argued that the world is watching not just Iran but Obama as well -- watching for what he will do, for how America will respond. Iranians, who, taking to the streets and risking their lives for freedom and democracy, need to see that America is with them.

And, yesterday, Obama took that next step. And he was at his finest.

As Slate's John Dickerson notes, he "not only upped his rhetoric, he reacted personally, talking about the 'searing image of a woman bleeding to death in the streets,' a reference to the so-called Neda video. He called the loss 'extraordinarily painful' and 'heartbreaking.'" He also said that "[t]he United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days." Which is to say, he, too, is "appalled and outraged," and he went on to "condemn these unjust actions," strongly.

Is Obama getting tougher? Did he get tougher yesterday? Yes, I think so. And rightly so. And he was able to do so because he didn't come out of the gate with the sort of hard line the right-wing hawks wanted. He is, after all, dealing with reality, and openly intervening early on, openly siding with the opposition and the protesters without allowing developments to unfold, and without waiting for the Iranians to speak for themselves, would have been not just arrogant and presumptuous (as if the U.S. knows best, always, pushing its weight around) but reckless, limiting his own options going forward and endangering the brave men and women who have taken to the streets to demand change in Iran.

The situation in Iran is complicated, and there is no guarantee that this more nuanced approach -- caution, now condemnation, but not, thankfully, saber-rattling) -- will work. Still, it is abundantly clear that Obama, unlike his conservative critics, knows what he's doing.

And both Iran and America are better for it.

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Here, via The Plank, are some of Obama's opening remarks from yesterday's presser:

First, I’d like to say a few words about the situation in Iran. The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days. I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning each and every innocent life that is lost.

I have made it clear that the United States respects the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and is not at all interfering in Iran’s affairs. But we must also bear witness to the courage and dignity of the Iranian people, and to a remarkable opening within Iranian society. And we deplore violence against innocent civilians anywhere that it takes place.

The Iranian people are trying to have a debate about their future. Some in the Iranian government are trying to avoid that debate by accusing the United States and others outside of Iran of instigating protests over the elections. These accusations are patently false and absurd. They are an obvious attempt to distract people from what is truly taking place within Iran’s borders. This tired strategy of using old tensions to scapegoat other countries won’t work anymore in Iran. This is not about the United States and the West; this is about the people of Iran, and the future that they – and only they – will choose.

The Iranian people can speak for themselves. That is precisely what has happened these last few days. In 2009, no iron fist is strong enough to shut off the world from bearing witness to the peaceful pursuit of justice. Despite the Iranian government’s efforts to expel journalists and isolate itself, powerful images and poignant words have made their way to us through cell phones and computers, and so we have watched what the Iranian people are doing.

This is what we have witnessed. We have seen the timeless dignity of tens of thousands Iranians marching in silence. We have seen people of all ages risk everything to insist that their votes are counted and their voices heard. Above all, we have seen courageous women stand up to brutality and threats, and we have experienced the searing image of a woman bleeding to death on the streets. While this loss is raw and painful, we also know this: those who stand up for justice are always on the right side of history.

As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people have a universal right to assembly and free speech. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect those rights, and heed the will of its own people. It must govern through consent, not coercion. That is what Iran’s own people are calling for, and the Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government.

"But we must also bear witness to the courage and dignity of the Iranian people, and to a remarkable opening within Iranian society... The Iranian people can speak for themselves... This is what we have witnessed. We have seen the timeless dignity of tens of thousands Iranians marching in silence. We have seen people of all ages risk everything to insist that their votes are counted and their voices heard."

Brilliant. Powerful. The world is watching, and listening. And this is just what was needed.