At its onset, the Obama administration said it would give Iran a chance, would not pre-judge Iran, would offer an olive branch, would not press Iran with sanctions, would turn over a new leaf, would not be bound by the anger of the past. All this struck us as naive. And naive it has turned out. People who declare they are ready to commit genocide are not overwrought by the anger of the past and other touchy-feely diplomatic niceties. They are (pardon the pun) dead serious.
So now push comes to shove, and the Obama administration has to make good on its pledge not to let Iran drag things out for more than a year. As usual, the administration prefers not to make a hard decision. The nature of sanctions is to impose punishment. But the administration wants sanctions without punishment: sanctions that somehow affect only Irans Revolutionary Guard, but not the rest of the population. No need to hurt the average Iranian, says Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Read the related news coverage
That rings a little hollow. If it were the average Iranian the administration cares about, then why did it not speak up after June 12, 2009? That was the date of the rigged election, and the beginning of the popular demonstrations against the oppressive Islamic regime. Waiting, thirsting for support even mere verbal support for their fledgling aspirations for democracy, the Iranian people have found only a stony silence in the Obama administration.
The biggest favor the United States can do for the Iranian people is to stop its nuclear program, thereby precluding an inevitable, horrible war. A little suffering lacking gasoline is the price we will have to impose to try to stop Iran. Its time to bite the bullet. Time for tough, comprehensive sanctions against Iran. Playing nice hasnt helped, and never will. Hitlerlike tyrants only understand strength.
