American Power

Andrew responds to Stephen Hayes' suggestion that Obama give a speech in support of the people of Iran:

No! That is the last thing he should do. He should stay out of this as much as possible. This is not about us. It's about them. And any interference would only backfire to the regime's advantage.

Obviously, he's going to have to say something. But I basically agree with Andrew, mostly because I'm not convinced that any kind of American endorsement of anything can help. I know Obama's more popular than Bush in Iran, but whatever he says needs to be nuanced. Frankly, I'd expect nothing less.

On another note, I was watching Meet The Press yesterday and saw David Gregory ask Joe Biden if the Obama administration would go down as allowing Iran to go nuclear. Then I saw Mitt Romney blame Obama for the apparent fraud in Iran.

I think this theory of infinite American reach is a little silly. If we could use some temperamental conservatism anywhere, its in our sense of ourselves.  Here are your dangerous words for the day--America can do anything. It's a strange logic that says you can't cure poverty, but you can direct the fates of whole nation-states thousands of miles away.