Iran's Coppertone Cops

Infrequently I will hear someone equate Christianity to Islam and will either declare that both are dangerous when they are in control of governments, or that Christianity is a much bigger threat that Islam ever thought of being. I know, I know. In print it sounds goofy, but this kind of history-deprived nonsense has caught on with many younger people today who suffer from Government Education.

The next time I hear this, I am going to have a print out in my wallet of this story:

Women With Suntans Will be Arrested, Iran Police Chief Warns

Women with suntans are violating Islamic law and will be arrested in Iran, the capital city's police chief was reported by The Daily Telegraph as saying Wednesday.

"The public expects us to act firmly and swiftly if we see any social misbehavior by women, and men, who defy our Islamic values," Brigadier Hossien Sajedinia said.

"In some areas of north Tehran we can see many suntanned women and young girls who look like walking mannequins," he continued. "We are not going to tolerate this situation and will first warn those found in this manner and then arrest and imprison them."

The warning follows recent comments made by a hard-line Iranian cleric, who claimed women dressed in revealing clothing were disturbing young men and causing earthquakes.

Young men, I fear, will always be disturbed by young women with or without tans, but they might have something there on earthquake prevention.

Few would stand for arresting sun-tanned women in Washington, D.C., but the fact that it can happen in Iran's capital city draws a big yawn from our political and social elite, who continue to draw up their plans for eradicating Christianity's "poisonous" influence from our institutions.

The President's Iran Policy is Outdated Now

The most striking aspect of President Obama's reluctance to publicly support the citizen rebellion in Iran is that he keeps making noises about how "it isn't too late" for the mullahs to begin peaceful negotiations with "the international community."

This guy wants to negotiate so badly that he can't see the reality that is before him.

President Obama wanted to use his deft diplomatic skills -- his view, not mine -- to get Iran to give up its nuclear weapons program in exchange for the Israelis to settle (again) with the Palestinians.

That isn't likely to happen now. If uprising fails, it will be a long time before any other is attempted, the hardliners have their hand strengthened, and anyone who tries to "do a deal" with them must ignore the fact that the regime has blood on its hands.

If the uprising succeeds, there is no regime to negotiate with anyway.

Meanwhile, Israel is taking no comfort in Mr. Obama's foot-dragging. He's coming across as vacillating, undecided. Dare we say, weak? He couldn't even bring himself to dis-invite the Iranian diplomats to 4th of July parties, a teensy-weensie sign of solidarity with the freedom marchers that would have sent a clear message.

If the president thinks the Israelis are going to embrace the threat of nuclear Armageddon as the stick with which to grab the peace carrot with the Palestinians, he's more naive than Jimmy Carter, and that's saying a lot.

We noticed stress in President Obama's voice several times in his Tuesday press conference. He's getting a bit testy with members of the press who dare to ask real questions not cleared in advance with staff. If he thinks the press is beginning to wake up from its mesmerized love affair, and this is how he responds, I'm afraid we are in for a great deal of relational angst in the coming months.

Having a real foreign policy beyond merely thinking he can jawbone the rest of the world like he jawbones the American media would be a first start in developing a spine.

Does That 4th of July Invite Still Stand?

With the big day less than two weeks away, and all sorts of heck breaking loose in Tehran, the question must be asked:

Are the Iranians still invited to our 4th of July celebrations?

False Hopes & Pants About the Ankles

There isn't much positive to say about what's going on in Iran, other than there are a good number of people who are very courageous and are putting their lives on the line for even a small chance for greater freedom. It's not hard for the average American to admire the courage.

Having said that, I don't think this is their moment to win. Maybe if a better groundwork had been prepared with the help of liberty loving governments, like America, they would have a chance. Perhaps if we had a president whose core beliefs included a strong love of individual rights, and who was willing to lean on Iran a little bit, their case would be stronger.

As it is, they are pretty much on their own. This doesn't mean they can't win. As I heard someone remark a few days ago, "If the Palestinians had modeled Martin Luther King or Ghandi, they'd have their own country by now." Non-violent protest is a very powerful thing: the power of organized love to bring opposition powers to heel is never to be underestimated.

(Caveat: Ghandi was facing those rascally British. MLK was facing down JFK and LBJ. Not exactly the historical precedents to inspire confidence. Remember that Tiananmen Square didn't end well.)

Beyond calculating the odds that the Iranian dissidents can achieve some degree of success, there is the question for us -- perhaps "mystery" is the better word -- of what President Obama thinks he is accomplishing with his wishy-washy statements.

Jim Hoagland, writing in the Washington Post on Sunday, believes that Obama is clinging to his hopes that he will get to "negotiate" with the mullahs over their nuclear weapons program, and he doesn't want to jeopardize his chances by supporting the dissidents.

The most serious challenge that Iran's Islamic rulers have ever faced caught President Obama and many European leaders by surprise. Their intelligence agencies did little to prepare them for a national catharsis that pits a combustible mixture of youthful protesters and political opportunists against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

[SNIP]

But the president and his advisers still have not adjusted policies and tactics being overtaken by events. This is clear both from the initial "caught in the headlights" reaction by Obama as he temporized -- albeit with steely skill -- and from accounts of diplomatic and other official sources here.

(Uh, what is "steely skill"?)

The administration's words suggest Obama is caught in a political version of the theory of relativity -- that he moves along a predetermined course that prevents him from seeing the new situation in Tehran exactly as it occurs. He clings to the pre-election paramount goal of keeping alive the chances for a nuclear deal with any government in Tehran.

[SNIP]

... Obama should not have blurted out the (accurate) observation that challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi would probably not change Ahmadinejad's foreign and nuclear policies. This is the kind of assessment that intelligence chiefs whisper to their bosses to explain that their missed call doesn't really matter much.

In other words, our ever-narcissistic president was covering his posterior after getting caught with his pants down by events in Iran.

A good question to ask, though it is unlikely anyone at this White House will answer, concerns the intelligence that Obama received. Was it bad intel, and if so, why? Or was the intel good, but they chose to reinterpret it or ignore it?

I suppose we'll have to wait for Nancy Pelosi to tell us.

An Odd 4th of July Invitation

The AP reported on this a couple of days ago, but I misplaced the link and then got forgetful. Yet I think it is worth a brief mention:

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras (AP) - In a new overture to Iran, the Obama administration has authorized U.S. embassies around the world to invite Iranian officials to Independence Day parties they host on or around July 4th.

A State Department cable sent to all U.S. embassies and consulates late last week said that U.S. diplomats could ask their Iranian counterparts to attend the festivities, which generally feature speeches about American values, fireworks, and, of course, hot dogs and hamburgers.

The notice, sent on Friday, said that the posts "may invite representatives from the government of Iran" to the events, a State Department official said Tuesday, quoting from the document. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an internal communication.

It was not immediately clear how many embassies and consulates would actually invite Iranian diplomats to the July 4 parties or whether any Iranians would accept the invitations.

The writer noted that Iran has sent "mixed responses" to the Obama administration's overtures for better relations.

If by "mixed responses" you mean outright hostility, then I guess so.

The question I and many others are mulling is why Iranians would want to go to the "birthday" celebration of the government they consider the Great Satan? The reverse question is why Americans would want to have "wet blanket" diplomats at a 4th of July party?

Quoting Jay Nordlinger, senior editor at National Review: "The Obama administration is eager to make nice with the mullahs. But listen: They are a brutal, brutal, ghastly regime, its belligerent and apocalyptic foreign policy aside: This is a regime that stones young girls to death for the 'crime' of having been gang-raped. There is almost no depravity to which this regime has not stooped. ... Why would democrats want representatives of such a regime at such an occasion? Some people try to persuade themselves that monsters are normal people — and such an attempt can bring great sorrow and pain."

Obama's Innocence Abroad

Headline: Obama says Iran's energy concerns legitimate

LONDON -- President Barack Obama suggested that Iran may have some right to nuclear energy _ provided it proves by the end of the year that its aspirations are peaceful.

In a BBC interview broadcast Tuesday, he also restated plans to pursue direct diplomacy with Tehran to encourage it set aside any ambitions for nuclear weapons it might harbor.

Iran is sitting on an ocean of oil and natural gas. But it needs nuclear power?

The Iranian president can surely thank Obama for this public relations victory ten days before national elections. This is the same man, by the way, who regularly calls for Israel to be wiped off the map.

Of course, for that matter, so does Ahmadinejad's "moderate" opponent in the election.

But by all means, Mr. Obama, let's give them until the end of the year to pursue those peaceful nukes.