IRAN ERUPTS - AT 8:40 P.M. ET:  We've been told for years that it's the government of Iran that's the problem, not most of the people.  That certainly appears to be true tonight.  From The Times of London:

IRAN’S hardline leaders warned last night that they would crush dissent after opposition supporters protesting against their candidate’s defeat in disputed presidential elections clashed with riot police on the streets of Tehran.

In the Iranian capital’s most serious unrest for 10 years, thousands of liberals who claimed the election had been rigged vented their fury in running battles with police.

They fought officers armed with batons and stun grenades, set fire to police vehicles and threw stones at government buildings.

I saw police in camouflage uniforms and black flak jackets respond by firing the grenades from motorcycles into a crowd that chanted “down with the dictator” and denounced what it called a stolen election.

COMMENT:  The people in the streets are, right now, looking to America for guidance and inspiration, as the oppressed have for generations. 

What do they see?

They see a president filled with apologies, filled with contempt for his predecessor, who tried to advance democracy, and a president who's made it clear that dictatorships like Iran's don't keep him up at nights.  That's what they see.

If you were an Iranian in the streets, who would you like to see when you see a photo of the White House - Barack Obama...or Ronald Reagan?  Barack Obama...or George W. Bush?

No apologies.

June 13, 2009