Iran Rebuffs Obama’s Video Diplomacy

Personally, I’d rather Obama stick to worthless blathering rather than giving concessions to Iran. 

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was responding to a video message Obama released Friday in which he reached out to Iran on the occasion of Nowruz, the Persian new year, and expressed hopes for an improvement in nearly 30 years of strained relations.

Khamenei holds the last word on major policy decisions, and how Iran ultimately responds to any concrete U.S. effort to engage the country will depend largely on his say.

In his most direct assessment of Obama and prospects for better ties, Khamenei said there will be no change between the two countries unless the American president puts an end to U.S. hostility toward Iran and brings “real changes” in foreign policy.

“They chant the slogan of change but no change is seen in practice. We haven’t seen any change,” Khamenei said in a speech before a crowd of tens of thousands in the northeastern holy city of Mashhad.

In his video message, Obama said the United States wants to engage Iran, but he also warned that a right place for Iran in the international community “cannot be reached through terror or arms, but rather through peaceful actions that demonstrate the true greatness of the Iranian people and civilization.”

Khamenei asked how Obama could congratulate Iranians on the new year and accuse the country of supporting terrorism and seeking nuclear weapons in the same message.

1. I was going to suggest that BO was more akin to Jimmy Carter 2.0; however, Neville Chamberlain sounds more apropo…

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 21, 2009 at 1327 hrs




2. “They chant the slogan of change but no change is seen in practice. We haven’t seen any change,” Khamenei said in a speech before a crowd of tens of thousands in the northeastern holy city of Mashhad.

   We hear you buddy - some of us are wondering what this “change” thing means too, and have heard it over & over & over to the point of nausea.

   Khamenei asked how Obama could congratulate Iranians on the new year and accuse the country of supporting terrorism and seeking nuclear weapons in the same message.

   Hey, he’s still in campaign mode - get used to it.  At least you didn’t get an off-teleprompter talk - that would have made your head explode.

   Posted by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 21, 2009 at 2005 hrs