Rule 5 Rescue: Meghan McCain

My friend Stogie at Saber Point ribbed me a couple of times for veering away from politics into untrammeled breast blogging. I hate to let readers down, naturally. So let's try to combine politics and push-ups this morning with some Meghan McCain Rule 5 action!

It turns out that some conservative women have taken to "tit-tering":

Over the last few days I’ve noticed that a couple Republicans are taking to Twitter to discuss some pressing issues — boobs.

NTTAWWT!!

Robert Stacy McCain's got more, "Catfight! Meghan McCain's rack vs. the LOTUS With the Mostest."

I'm just an observer on the sidelines. But speaking of Rule 5, Dan Collins introduces readers to the fabulous Sonia Acquino! It's scandalous, really! What would Cassandra say!

While we're on the topic, readers might like to head over to Theo Spark's, "Bedtime Totty ..."

And as always for the breast blogging roundups, don't forget to visit some additional friends and allies:

Chris Wysocki, Blasting Caps and Dynamite, Moonbattery, Sweating Through the Fog, Three Beers Later, PA Pundits, Paco Enterprises, Ken Davenport, Sister Toldjah, Blazing Cat Fur, Dan Collins, Scott Kingsmore, The Astute Bloggers, The BoBo Files, Grant Jones, Tapline, New Testament News, Wizbang, William Jacobson, Phyllis Chesler, TigerHawk, Point of a Gun, Right Wing News, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Nice Deb, Becky Brindle, GrEaT sAtAn'S gIrLfRiEnD, Fishersville Mike, Monique Stuart, No Sheeples Here!, Dana at CSPT, Glenn Reynolds, Obi’s Sister, Right Truth, Gold-Plated Witch on Wheels, Chicago Ray, Ace of Spades HQ, Natalie's Blog. Ann Althouse, Track-a-'Crat, Right View from the Left Coast, Generation Patriot, Macsmind, Flopping Aces, Edge's Conservative Movies, Stop the ACLU, Snooper's Report, Grandpa John's, Cranky Conservative, Jimmie Bise, Little Miss Attila, Moe Lane, Private Pigg, Pundit & Pundette, The Rhetorican, R.S. McCain, Saber Point, Stephen Kruiser, Suzanna Logan, TrogloPundit, Villainous Company, PoliGazette, Prying 1, The Western Experience, The Oklahoma Patriot, Right Wing Sparkle, Conservatism With Heart, Duck of Minerva, Doug Ross Journal, Wolf Howling, Right Wing Nation, Right Wing Nuthouse, Melissa Clouthier, Paula in Israel, Pamela Geller, Vanessa's Blog, Pat's Daily Rants, Bob's Bar & Grill, Power Line, Melanie Morgan, Dave in Boca, Neo-Neocon, Right in a Left World, Flag Gazer, Stephen Green, The Tygrrrr Express, The News Factor, Israel Matsav, The Conservative Manifesto, Gates of Vienna, Joust The Facts, Panhandle Poet, Steven Givler, The Astute Blogger, The Daley Gator, Just One Minute, Dave's World, Sparks From the Anvil, Gateway Pundit, Political Pistachio, Liberty Pundit, Not One Red Cent, Right Truth, Dave's Notepad, The Red Hunter, Maggie's Farm, The Next Right, This Ain't Hell, Stop the ACLU, Politics and Critical Thinking, Riehl World View, Midnight Blue, Caroline Glick, The Average American, The Griper, FouseSquawk, The Other McCain, Cheat Seeking Missiles, Roger Simon, Classical Values, Samantha Speaks, Grizzly Mama, The Capitol Tribune, The Patriot Room, The Real World, RADARSITE, Serr8d's Cutting Edge, Bloviating Zeppelin, Born Again Redneck The Educated Shoprat, St. Blogustine, Yid With Lid, Pondering Penguin, Betsy's Page, The Anchoress, Ace of Spades HQ, Right Wing Sparkle, Thunder Run, The Classic Liberal, Conservative Grapevine, Cassy Fiano, Jim Treacher, NetRightNation, Q and O, Urban Grounds, Ed Driscoll, Cold Fury, Michelle Malkin, Neptunus Lex, Neo-Neocon, The Liberty Papers, The Monkey Cage, Law and Order Teacher, Mike's America, AubreyJ, Dan Collins, The Jungle Hut, Wake Up America, Dan Riehl, Nikki's Blog, Maggie's Notebook, Hummers & Cigarettes, Mark Goluskin, Jawa Report, Darleen Click, The Skepticrats, Fausta's Blog, Clueless Emma, Obob's World, Seymour Nuts, Red State, Dr. Sanity, The Desert Glows Green, Not One Red Cent, Vinegar and Honey, Sarge Charlie, Thoughts With Attitude, Kim Priestap, Swedish Meatballs Confidential, Five Feet of Fury, Amy Proctor, Blonde Sagacity, Liberty Papers, The Blog Prof, and Big Girl Pants.

Also, never forget Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit!

"You Better Watch Your Back"

Here's the first thing out of James "Barebacker" Webb's mouth when responding to reader Rusty Walker at my post, "Democratic Values! Left-Wing Alaska Operative 'Ghoulshops' Trig Palin!".

Rusty, you look younger than 63 in your picture.

James brags at the post that "I am well into my second bottle of wine..."

That's some bottled courage for you. Well, folks know what happens to young cocky suckers like James Webb. Recall Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino, "Get off my lawn." Chinese Kid: "You better watch your back":

This is how James Webb operates. Just an ass, totally. See also James' social toxicity in, "How Not to Get a Million Hits On Your Blog, And Not Score With Hotties. Ever."

Talking About Ugly Babies

I got a longer e-mail from a reader on the debate thread at yesterday's post, "Democratic Epic Moral Fail!" This portion is the second, concluding half of the e-mail:

A commenter named ex DLB posits: "To be perfectly fair, Eddie Burke was probably just as ugly as a baby. Sorry if that upsets anyone." And JBW replies: "There's nothing worse than an ugly baby, ex DLB."

Okay ... dance around this as much as you like, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist, nor an intellectual genius to understand that Trig Palin is the baby being discussed here. It's just another of the 'nudge, nudge' comments made by these quasi intellectual, heartless, individuals whose words are used to cause as much pain as possible. No wonder the Greek root of the word "sarcasm" means "to tear the flesh." Dr. Douglas, you are right in calling them out on this, and exposing them for what they are. Their treatment of Governor Palin and her innocent children aren't their only targets, obviously. How sad when one's purpose in life is nothing more than to tear down another's reputation, and to harm them, emotionally. If this is representative of the Democratic majority, then we, as a nation, are in big, big trouble.

I sent the reader the link to another post, where "ex DLB" adds, "And Don, you were probably an ugly baby, too."

James "Barebacker" Webb is an inveterate hypocrite, as I've noted previously. And the leftists just can't get away from calling neoconservatives ugly babies! Man that is rich!

And who was that "descending into madness"?

Unethical Professor? Just Get in Line With the Agenda!

After a while, when a conservative academic gets into debates with radical leftists, they'll soon have their credentials challenged. I wrote about this earlier: "You're a Professor, Really?"

The "I can't believe you're a professor" line is one of the best indicators of the intellectual intolerance of today's postmodernists: There is ONE WAY to view things, and if you're not down with it, you're excommunicated from what these people believe to be respectable company among the thinking elite.

You see this in the media a lot as well. For example, take a look at today's New York Times piece on gay rights, "Political Shifts on Gay Rights Lag Behind Culture" (via Memeorandum). The article is a commentary piece disguised as reporting (which should be no surprise to those familiar with the decline of the Old Gray Lady). Public opinion polls on gay marriage nationally belie the argument that politics is "behind" the culture (a socially licentious culture of anything-goes-sexual abandon). We also see these polling trends in states whose courts have legislated gay rights from the bench (just 26 percent in Iowa favored full-on same-sex marriage rights when that policy became law earlier this year). For an example of this cultural lie, check out Matthew Yglesias' post on the Times piece, "Culture, Politics, and Majoritarianism:

The underlying dynamic here illustrates why it’s always been a mistake to try to draw a contrast between gay rights groups’ efforts to secure equality through the courts and to secure equality through the political process.

Shorter Yglesias: The political process is illegitimate in the absence of toeing the hardline gay rights agenda.

As for the academic angle, I noticed the comments of "Dave the Longwinded" over at Brainrage:

You know, I'm a college instructor by trade, I'm registered as an Independent, and hold a slightly Libertarian bent. I would love to see how he responds to students who write work Don doesn't like from a political standpoint.

His language on his blog with respect to certain topics could be called borderline unethical for a college prof. If you disagree with gay rights/marriage, yay for you. But to use it as a slur against opponents would really make some of my superiors take notice in a way that Don wouldn't like. And some of them hold definite conservative leanings.

This is really interesting.

I've been blogging for over three years. I've been attacked every which way, from this side to Sunday. My information's all public. I'm ashamed of nothing. It turns out that "Dave the Longwinded" is Dave Jones of University of Evansville. He's posted a syllabus from a "critical thinking" class at his blog. I'm gathering that Professor Jones is a remedial instructor, for I don't see him listed at the university's English homepage. He may not even be teaching any more, since he suggests life in academe is a "trade," not that different from drywall contracting or plumbing.

Interestingly, some time back James "Barebacker" Webb went to RateMyProfessors to check me out. He must have been disappointed not to find comments attacking me as a "neocon" or a "racist homophobe." Indeed, as he noted at the time, "you seem to be a fairly amiable fellow ..." (and that's because I had yet to hammer him on his nihilist hypocrisy).

A check over at RateMyProfessors right now indicates no complaints over ideology or intolerance in the classroom. In fact, it's probably the other way around. Check out this May 25th comment from a former student of mine at my Facebook page:

I wish you came out with some of the information you blog on in your lectures ...

And that's the thing. My blog is separate from my lectures. I sometimes pull it up in class, for example, in my recent discussions on democracy I've played some of the videos from Iran's protests. (Seeing that violence, students are stunned by the disconnect between their liberty at home and the brutal authoritarianism abroad.) I will sometimes also point students to my blog to find my published essays or other important articles that relate to what we're doing.

But I don't indoctrinate. It's the leftist academics who are disgracefully guilty of hardline indoctrination. I discussed this in my essay at FrontPage Magazine, "Grading the One-Party Classroom."

This is what radical leftists do. And if you're not down with it, you'll be smeared as "unethical." You really shouldn't be inside a classroom!

Iran Protesters Keep Hope Alive

From the Los Angeles Times, "In Iran, the protests have quieted, but the protesters are simmering":

The streets of Tehran are quiet once again. But the multitudes who protested the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad haven't gone home and put their rage in a closet.

They are carefully weighing their options, balancing personal lives, economic well- being and political aspirations -- and trying to determine whether they have any real leadership.

Perhaps the anger will reignite on July 9, the 10th anniversary of a student uprising that prompted a campaign to crush reformist aspirations. Or the match may be lighted the next time authorities roll out the Guidance Patrol, which stops women on the streets for allowing too much hair to peep out from under their head scarves.

The government has shown that it's willing to pay a high price in blood and international isolation to maintain its hold on the direction of the country.

But what price are protesters and other citizens willing to pay? Are they ready to go underground, let dark roots overwhelm their blond highlights and shed petite mini-coats to hide tracts and underground newspapers beneath all-covering black chadors?

Read the whole thing, at the link.

See also, the New York Times, "In Tehran, a Mood of Melancholy Descends," via Memeorandum.

And, London Telegraph, "Iran dissident remembers the torture his comrades are now going through in Tehran."

Cartoon Credit: Americans for Limited Government, and William Warren.

TMZ Said to Pay for Tips, Quotes

I cited WeSmirch a couple of nights ago, in my post on Michael Jackson's final rehearsal. The dirt-dishing gossip site features lots of TMZ articles. It turns out that TMZ broke its biggest story in reporting the death of Michael Jackson. Yet, widespread legitimacy is still elusive for the website.

Check the story at the Los Angeles Times, "Michael Jackson may be turning point for TMZ." This part on paying to tips and quotes is pretty interesting:

The site's hard-charging reporting tactics and impressive record of accuracy have drawn stunned admiration from rivals but also angry denunciations from actors, public relations representatives and government agencies.

TMZ earlier this year posted what looked like an evidence photo of pop singer Rihanna's battered face after a fight with boyfriend Chris Brown. Outraged Los Angeles Police Department officials promptly launched an investigation into the leak, which the judge at Brown's trial last month said was possibly criminal.

"There are documents that come out that they get that frankly they never should," said Courtney Hazlett, a columnist and celebrity correspondent for MSNBC.com. "The Rihanna photo is Exhibit 1A."

Lurking behind much of the suspicion is a sense that TMZ is flouting not so much the law as journalistic ethics. Rivals have consistently accused Levin and company of paying for information. Most news-gathering organizations do not allow reporters and editors to pay sources for tips or quotes, although it has become a common practice for magazines and TV news shows to pay tens of thousands of dollars for exclusive access to celebrity weddings or baby pictures, often with interviews included as part of the arrangements.

"Why would somebody who works in the hospital give them the information? Out of the goodness of their heart?" said Rob Silverstein, executive producer of NBC Universal's "Access Hollywood," referring to the tip that led to the Jackson report. However, he conceded that he did not have "absolute proof" that TMZ was paying for information.

TMZ officials in the past have dismissed the skepticism. "People bring us stories because they want to see them get out," Paratore said in a recent interview. But Saturday, Levin, who repeatedly refused to be interviewed for this report, was quoted in the New York Times as saying the site pays "tip fees" that lead to stories, but not for stories outright, without explaining the distinction.

Full Metal Saturday: Mozhan Marno

I know a number of my blogging friends have already posted their weekend "Rule 5" entries. But better late than never! Please check out Mozhan Marno. In the picture she is attending premiere of Traitor, last August 28, in New York City. Ms. Marno is currently starring in The Stoning of Soraya M., so given the events of the last two weeks, I thought her selection for this week's entry would add a momentous touch.

From Gossipsauce:

The Stoning of Soraya M., based on French-Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam’s 1994 novel of the same name, is the devastating true story of a woman who was stoned to death in her small Iranian village when she refused to grant her abusive husband a divorce. Played with exquisite grace, depth and nobility by Mozhan Marno (Traitor), Soraya isn’t a simple victim, she is a sacrificial lamb, a testament to the inequality of women in the Islamic world, the dynamics of mob rule and the villainy intrinsic to tyranny and totalitarianism.

I saw some stuff on the film earlier in the week, for example, Christian Toto's, "The Stoning of Soraya M.: An Unflinching Look at the Unconscionable." So timely!

Also, check out Phyllis Chesler, "A Frenzy of Honor Killings."

Now, for the regular weekend roundup! For starters, check out the awesome Carol at No Sheeples Here!. Her latest doozy is "Full Metal Jacket Reach-Around For Saturday, June 27, 2009." Not miss Pat in Shreveport as well, "Rule 2 Saturday."

Also, Smitty at The Other McCain gets things going with Feeling Mugged Just Right About Now." And the Daley Gator's got "Saturday morning Linkgasms for everyone! EXCEPT sell-out RINOS! They can go “F” themselves!"

Added bonus: TrogloPundit, "Rule 2 Sunday: How I very nearly stopped doing these once-a-week roundups, and why, and why I didn’t."

Don't forget to visit some of American Power's additional friends and allies:

Doug Ross Journal, Dan Collins, Scott Kingsmore, The Astute Bloggers, The BoBo Files, Grant Jones, Tapline, New Testament News, Wizbang, William Jacobson, Phyllis Chesler, Right View from the Left Coast, Generation Patriot, Macsmind, Flopping Aces, Edge's Conservative Movies, Stop the ACLU, Snooper's Report, Grandpa John's, Cranky Conservative, Jimmie Bise, Little Miss Attila, Moe Lane, Private Pigg, Pundit & Pundette, The Rhetorican, R.S. McCain, Saber Point, Stephen Kruiser, Suzanna Logan, TrogloPundit, Villainous Company, PoliGazette, Prying 1, The Western Experience, The Oklahoma Patriot, Right Wing Sparkle, Conservatism With Heart, Duck of Minerva, Wolf Howling, Right Wing Nation, Right Wing Nuthouse, Melissa Clouthier, Paula in Israel, Pamela Geller, Vanessa's Blog, Pat's Daily Rants, Bob's Bar & Grill, Power Line, Melanie Morgan, Dave in Boca, Neo-Neocon, Right in a Left World, Flag Gazer, Stephen Green, The Tygrrrr Express, The News Factor, Israel Matsav, The Conservative Manifesto, Gates of Vienna, Joust The Facts, Panhandle Poet, Steven Givler, The Astute Blogger, Chris Wysocki, Moonbattery, Sweating Through the Fog, Three Beers Later, PA Pundits, Paco Enterprises, Ken Davenport, Sister Toldjah, Blazing Cat Fur, The Daley Gator, Just One Minute, Dave's World, Sparks From the Anvil, Gateway Pundit, Political Pistachio, Liberty Pundit, Not One Red Cent, Right Truth, Dave's Notepad, The Red Hunter, Maggie's Farm, The Next Right, This Ain't Hell, Stop the ACLU, Politics and Critical Thinking, Riehl World View, Midnight Blue, Caroline Glick, The Average American, The Griper, FouseSquawk, The Other McCain, Cheat Seeking Missiles, Roger Simon, Classical Values, Samantha Speaks, Grizzly Mama, The Capitol Tribune, The Patriot Room, The Real World, RADARSITE, Serr8d's Cutting Edge, Bloviating Zeppelin, Born Again Redneck The Educated Shoprat, St. Blogustine, Yid With Lid, Pondering Penguin, Betsy's Page, The Anchoress, Ace of Spades HQ, Right Wing Sparkle, Thunder Run, The Classic Liberal, Conservative Grapevine, Cassy Fiano, Jim Treacher, NetRightNation, Q and O, Urban Grounds, Ed Driscoll, Cold Fury, Michelle Malkin, Neptunus Lex, Neo-Neocon, The Liberty Papers, The Monkey Cage, Law and Order Teacher, Mike's America, AubreyJ, Dan Collins, The Jungle Hut, Wake Up America, Dan Riehl, Nikki's Blog, Big Girl Pants, Maggie's Notebook, Hummers & Cigarettes, Mark Goluskin, Jawa Report, Darleen Click, The Skepticrats, Fausta's Blog, Clueless Emma, Obob's World, Seymour Nuts, Red State, Dr. Sanity, The Desert Glows Green, Not One Red Cent, Vinegar and Honey, Sarge Charlie, Thoughts With Attitude, Kim Priestap, Swedish Meatballs Confidential, Five Feet of Fury, Amy Proctor, Blonde Sagacity, Liberty Papers, TigerHawk, Point of a Gun, Right Wing News, And So it Goes in Shreveport, Nice Deb, Becky Brindle, GrEaT sAtAn'S gIrLfRiEnD, Fishersville Mike, Monique Stuart, No Sheeples Here!, Dana at CSPT, Glenn Reynolds, Obi’s Sister, Right Truth, Gold-Plated Witch on Wheels, Chicago Ray, Ace of Spades HQ, Natalie's Blog. Ann Althouse, Track-a-'Crat, and The Blog Prof.

Also, don't forget Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit!

P.S. It's been a big day, so if I missed anyone's Rule 5 entry, just drop your links in the comments or send me an e-mail. I'll add you ASAP (and if you're new to American Power, make sure you get in on the massive "friends and allies" link extravaganza).

ADDED: Skepticrats, "Rule 5 Sunday: Diane Lane."

Too Much Time Online Strains Marriages!

Via Glenn Reynolds, "Too much time online strains Irish marriages":

The key areas causing conflict "are internet gambling, infidelity and one partner spending too much time online rather than with their spouse and family ...

Yikes! (And it's not infidelity!)

Daily Kos: Malicious is as Malicious Does

Kos gets some nasty mail. No one - repeat, no one - should ever be attacked like this. That said, while ignorant and racist, the e-mailer actually nails it on this one:

(3) FACT: you are also OBJECTIVELY ANTIAMERICAN!!!!!!!! dont even try to deny this for there is ample prof: in 2004 you openly supported the murder of four brave american soldiers in falluja. you tryed to weasel out of your responsiblity, but you cant hide the fact that you hate america and american soldiers and you love al queda and other muslim terrorists who have killed THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS!!!! and will never stop unless they are killed. and whose going to kill them? you? LOL you dont even own a gun because you leftofascists want to repel the second amendent.

Kos apparently later claimed to be "vindicated" by events on the ground. AOSHQ responds:

How does anything that happened, or could happen, "vindicate" his "I feel nothing... screw 'em" statement? That's not saying "Iraq is unwinnable," a statement which could be vindicated by the right facts.

It's just a statement of pure uncaring maliciousness.

Hmm ... "maliciousness." Yep, pretty standard on the left - not hate-mail standard (like the guy writing in to Kos), just standard everyday blogging for these folks.

GOP Sees Narrowing List of Presidential Prospects

From Fox News, "For Republicans, a Narrowing List of Presidential Prospects." My hunch is that Governor Palin will be a much bigger player in '12 than is implied here:

The Grand Old Party's 2012 presidential pool isn't looking so grand these days.

Add Nevada Sen. John Ensign's and South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's extramarital affairs to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's unconvincing TV speech and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's family dramas, and the Republican presidential herd is thinning fast -- leaving many to wonder who will lead the party in its attempt to reclaim the White House.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels are the names now being whispered in Republican circles as potential winners -- although observers admit political speculations can change overnight.

"It's way too early to be playing the name game," said Dana Perino, former White House press secretary for President George W. Bush.

"I believe it will be a governor," said Nick Ayers, executive director of the Republican Governors Association.

Ayers also stressed that it is far too early to make projections, but he said Pawlenty, Jindal and Romney are among the most promising prospects.

But, he added, "The list goes on and on."

Ayers said Republicans are well-positioned for a comeback in 2012, but focusing on a candidate short list now is "totally irrelevant to the rebuilding of the party."

He added that the nomination could very well go to someone with little name recognition.

"When George W. Bush got re-elected in 2004, Barack Obama was a state legislator," Ayers said.

Obama Gives Realism a Bad Name

From James Ceaser, at the Weekly Standard, "Giving 'Realism' a Bad Name":

Democrats are clinging stubbornly to their new religion of "realism" and "pragmatism" in foreign affairs. Even where prudence dictates otherwise, as it surely does in responding to the fraudulent Iranian election and its aftermath, President Obama has been tepid at best in condemning the conduct of the mullocracy. So as reformers in Tehran are being hosed and rounded up, our "realists" stand mute, fearful that any critical comment might upset the one the president dignifies as the "Supreme Leader" or interfere with our Great Reset policy of "engaging" adversaries. The administration will not even await the outcome of events before signaling its eagerness to deal with the current government. Realists will pay any price and bear any burden to avoid anything that resembles the democracy agenda of George W. Bush.

Democrats were not always so tough-minded. For decades, they supported the causes of democracy and humanitarianism, regularly excoriating Republican presidents for coddling antidemocratic leaders. President Reagan was taken to task for his cozy relations with dictators like Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos (whom he eventually succeeded in moving aside), and the first President Bush was accused of fighting the first Gulf war to do the bidding of the Saudi king. Even George W. Bush, when it was politically convenient, was whipped with the lash of the Democrats' idealism. Almost all the Democratic contenders for the nomination in 2008 criticized his close relations to Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf, with considerations of realism providing him no relief. Barack Obama was no exception:

I said very early on, when emergency rule was initiated by Musharraf, that we should suspend military aid     until you had full restoration of democracy, including releasing political prisoners, and insuring that there's freedom of expression and freedom of the press during the election period.

But the Iraq war - and partisan politics - gradually changed the Democrats' calculation. As conditions deteriorated in Iraq, and as many finally accepted that President Bush was in earnest about his commitment to the spread of democracy, liberals flipped. They abandoned their previous commitment to principle, condemned Bush for idealism and ideological blindness, and embraced with fervor the position they labeled realism. Realism, if the word is taken at face value, seems to mean nothing more - or less - than seeing the world as it is, without blinders or excessive hopes or fears. But in the context of the debate in recent years, it came to refer to something much more specific: It meant a cessation of all principled talk about democracy and universal rights, including their philosophical foundations, and a willingness to engage with any and all forces that could claim to have created order. Democracy, realists say, is for the long run; in the short run our job is to deal with the forces of order.

I made similar points last night. See, "Devastating: Obama's Abandonment of Democracy and Human Rights."

The West Betrays the Iranian Protest Movement

From Matthias Küntzel:

The Iranians who are resisting the electoral putsch are not only being humiliated and beaten by the batons and bullets of the Pasdaran but also by the inaction of the so-called freedom-loving world: no call for a special session of the UN, no threats of sanctions, no boycott declaration, no economic embargo, not even the smallest warning—let's just not take sides or make any commitments as long as the result of the struggle in Iran remains open. The West, so the argument goes, has to be careful to avoid providing any pretext to vilify the Iranian opposition. So Obama doesn't need days but weeks to slowly pull back his outstretched hand, while the German Foreign Ministry argues all the more emphatically for a dialogue with the putsch-regime. Undauntedly, the German-Iranian Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Tehran advertises the building of a German-Iranian Business Center in Berlin, while the German-Iranian Chamber of Commerce in Hamburg reported today that its upcoming seminar on "Export Certification in Iran Trade" (July 13) is already overcrowded. And haven't we gotten along somehow or other with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during the past four years?

But this time this optimistic hope that things will just go on is a self-deception. Khamenei and Ahmadinejad represent the apocalyptic wing of the regime that has just carried out a coup d'etat. Both of them have politicized the mystical image of the Shiite Messiah, the "twelfth Imam," and they have mystified politics through appeals to the alleged will of that imaginary creature. In his Friday sermon, Khamenei attributed even the high electoral participation to the influence of that same twelfth Imam. For Ahmadinejad the return of the Messiah, so longed for, depends on maximal chaos and unrest in the world and on the destruction of Israel. It is therefore only consistent for him to regard the "nuclearization of Iran" as the "beginning of a fundamental change in the world."

More at the link.

See also, "Devastating: Obama's Abandonment of Democracy and Human Rights."

Additional commentary at Memeorandum, especially, José María Aznar, "Silence Has Consequences for Iran," and Astute Bloggers, "Aznar: "This is no time for hesitation on the part of the West."

No Going Back to Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic Republic

Reuel Marc Gerecht, at the Weekly Standard, "The June 12 Revolution":

What's happening in Iran now is all about democracy, about the contradictory and chaotic bedfellows that it makes, about the questioning of authority and the personal curiosity that it unleashes. Khamenei knows what George H.W. Bush's "realist" national security adviser Brent Scowcroft surely knows, too: Democracy in Iran implies regime change. Where Iranians in the 1990s could try to play games with themselves - be in favor of greater democracy but refrain from saying publicly that the current government was illegitimate - this fiction is no longer possible. Khamenei has forced Mousavi and, more important, the people behind him into opposition to himself and the political system he leads. Unless Mousavi gives up, and thereby deflates the millions who've gathered around him, a permanent opposition to Khamenei and his constitutionally ordained supremacy has now formed. Like it or not, Mousavi has become the new Khatami - except this time the opposition is stronger and led by a man of considerable intestinal fortitude.

More at the link.