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In an exclusive interview with George Stephanopolous on "This Week" Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., slammed President Barack Obama for being "timid and passive" in his response to the Iranian government's deadly crackdown on election protesters.Graham said Obama is "moving in the right direction" with his remarks Saturday about the world watching the Iranian regime and warning that the regime should avoid doing injustice to the Iranian people -- the president's strongest condemnation yet of the Iranian government.
Said Graham,"He's certainly moving in the right direction, but our point is that there's 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," Graham said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday.
Graham continued, "Other nations have been more outspoken so I hope that we'll hear more of this because young men and women taking to the streets in Tehran need our support. The signs are in English. They're basically asking for us to speak up on their behalf."
Graham said, "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."
Graham added, "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."
He urged the president to do "the right thing" and "stand up" with the protesters in Iran."This [Iranian] 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, it's doing the right thing," Graham stated.
But in an exclusive "This Week" interview, Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., argued the president is walking a "very delicate path (so as not to damage the cause of the protestors)" with Iran.
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MY COMMENT:
Nothing could be more stupid in my opinion than the US identifying itself with the protestors in Iran when you cannot not look in a crystal ball and tell the outcome of all this. Caution is definitely the best approach and what about GOP ignoramuses like Graham MINDING THEIR OWN BUSINESS? I don't understand Senator Lindsey Graham & other unreconstructed, unrepentant and uneducated Republicans that have spoken out about president Obama not being aggressive enough with his address to the leaders of Iran.Have they not learned anything?
Why would any American want to give amunition to powerful Irnaians to blame these riots on the U.S?
Have these Republicans forgotten that there are millions of us around the world as well as millions of Americans that believe the American President was selected & not elected in 2000?
Stop playing politics and do what is best for both the US foreign policy AND for these brave iranians who are risking their lives for freedom.I wish the Iranian people safety & hope.
As for Mr. Graham: President Obama did his job with his speech recently. His way is correctly not to legitimize the
Ahmadinejad accusations of US meddling which would happen if he were to take sides right now, as tempting as that might be to us here in the USA. Obama is correct to wait and see like that ship captain who was taken prisoner by the Somali pirates. He worked quietly and efficiently and so is Obama doing that same thing.
The people of Iran know he supports them and he has made an impression on them. Just look at the signs "Yes We Can" and "Change". They like him and want to be friends with America. I'd say he did his job and does not deserve any criticism from anyone. Where was the Republican outcry for involvement in Myanmar to support protesters there?
I smell more opportunistic GOP opposition here. Shame on the hypocritical, naysaying "Republican'ts."
Senator Graham was two thousand percent behind all of George W. Bush's mistakes and he is a South Carolinian generational racist.If you have ever listened to this man since Obama has been president, he has not agreed with him on anything.This man speaks like the reactionary he is.
South Carolina is a very poor, uneducated state, and needs help for its people. And this idiot Graham's even more moronic governor and his maximally moronic GOP party turned down the stimulus money that would help South Carolina. I wish Mr. Graham would shut up his southern braying. Here's another reason that we should be glad the GOP is not still in power. GOPers are armbanded reichists who are just wrong on every issue.
