Republicans in the US are criticizing Obama for his hands-off approach concerning the events in Iran.
So here is my question: what, exactly, do Republicans want?
Do they want to help Iran? Because in that case, the best thing to do is to shut up. Twenty years ago another Republican, the elder President Bush, explained in an interview why he did not go to gloat and “dance on the top of the Berlin Wall”: because if anything, it would have just encouraged the ruling elites of the East Bloc to crack down instead of facilitating a largely peaceful transition to democracy. The same is true today: loud protests by Obama about election fraud and crackdowns in Iran would only help the ruling elite.
Do Republicans not realize this? I doubt that they are that dumb. But then, I have to conclude that they are just turning this, along with everything else, into a partisan issue. They couldn’t care less as to what happens in Teheran, so long as they can bash Obama.
Hmmm, there’s an even worse alternative. Perhaps they actually want the ruling elite in Teheran to stay in power. How else could they continue to demonize Iran, and Islam in general?