Radio Silence From The Right

Mary Kate Cary, a former speechwriter for H.W. Bush, reflects on the riveting displays of courage during Ashura:

It's somewhat understandable that President Obama has stayed relatively quiet, as he did in June, so as not to give Ayatollah Khamenei the ability to say that the Great Satan is on the side of the people. But why would conservatives not be cheering on the brave men and women who are facing down his regime and the police who are refusing to fire into crowds of innocent citizens? It seems like only a matter of time before the security forces completely lose their nerve and the government collapses. Why not be on the side of freedom for these men and women who are clearly fighting tyranny? Isn't that what conservatives have always stood for?

Well, that's certainly why I've been cheering them on - because I remain a conservative whose deepest commitment is to individual liberty. But the right has become so Rovianized, so devoid of constructive thoughts about the world, so intent on playing news cycles to score points against opponents, that the Iranian regime could fall and they would be most worried about whether this will benefit Obama's poll ratings.

The Corner, for example. was too busy criticizing the president for not speaking up that it forgot to speak up. But it has been clear for a while now that the neocon right is far more obsessed with attacking Democrats than defending democracy.

(An Iranian opposition protester holds stones as he stands opposite security forces during clashes in Tehran on December 27, 2009. AFP/Getty Images)