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Krauthammer advocates return to "pre-'79" Iran, accuses Obama of fantasy-based policy

June 20, 2009 5:53 pm ET

From the June 20th edition of Fox News Channel's America's News HQ:

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Previously:

Why should we listen to these conservatives on foreign policy?

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    • Author by mjh (June 20, 2009 6:02 pm ET)
      6 1
      In a February 1, 2002, Washington Post column (retrieved from the Nexis database), Krauthammer predicted that an invasion of Iraq would lead to the spread of democracy throughout the Middle East, saying: "Iran is not a ready candidate for the blunt instrument of American power, because it is in the grips of a revolution from below. We can best accelerate that revolution by the power of example and success: Overthrowing neighboring radical regimes shows the fragility of dictatorship, challenges the mullahs' mandate from heaven and thus encourages disaffected Iranians to rise. First, Afghanistan to the east. Next, Iraq to the west."

      Oh, Chuck -- you were as FOS then as you are now, so why should we believe you any more now than we did then?
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    • Author by Easy to refute wingnuts (June 20, 2009 6:54 pm ET)
      6 3
      Isn't "pre-79 Iran" around the time Iranians took an American Embassy and its personnel hostage? Is Krauthammer looking for that to happen again?
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      • Author by mjh (June 20, 2009 7:08 pm ET)
        7 3
        Probably. Wingnuts, from Cheney on down, have been itching for some sort of attack on the on the US since Obama took office; for them, a hostage-taking of Americans overseas may be the next best thing in order to prove how "weak" Obama is . . .
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        • Author by DixieRose (June 21, 2009 10:52 am ET)
          3 8
          Sure, just like the liberals were just itching for the 911 attacks in order to prove how weak Bush was? That sort of thinking is flawed. The only attack on the U.S. right now is the one that the current gov't and its media groupies are waging against Fox News and conservatives. Did you not hear the president's comments yesterday concerning the crisis in Iran? What a hypocrite he is! He said, "The universal rights to assembly & free speech must be respected." He agrees with this unless it is a group of American patriots peacefully gathered at Tea Parties. Then he said, "Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away." Our illustrious leader needs to practice what he preaches! He and his fellow gov't cronies, ACORN buddies & borderline state-run media are doing their level best to suppress the values, ideas, and concerns of those who oppose them politically. Rather than attack America's real-life enemies, they come after and try to silence a segment of their own people, because they stand in the way of complete surrender to socialism. Sounds a wee bit like tyranny, doesn't it, when one must be fearful of speaking out against the opposition? Thank God for Fox News, or we conservatives wouldn’t have a voice in the media at all!
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          • Author by blueline99 (June 22, 2009 2:16 pm ET)
            5 1
            Your argument makes no sense...

            "The universal rights to assembly & free speech must be respected." He agrees with this unless it is a group of American patriots peacefully gathered at Tea Parties. Then he said, "Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away."

            When President Obama said that, he meant that the suppression of protests does not stop the movement. How is this hypocritical? He is respecting all free assembly and speech.

            Republican "talking points" just demonstrate how the party has no more ideas except to oppose whatever comes from the white house. If President Obama said the sun rises in the East, Fox News would have a special article saying "Barack Hussein Obama is Unamerican for supporting Eastern ideology."

            When a government stops listening to its people, they take to the streets like Iran. The Republican Tea Baggers protest was for the cameras. If there was no press they would all have gone home.

            You want to see real outrage... according to a NY Times poll 72% of Americans support Universal Health Care, let's see what happens if nothing changes.
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            • Author by DixieRose (June 22, 2009 7:23 pm ET)
              2 1
              blueline, Did you attend a tea party? If not, take it from someone who did that the people who attended were not only Republicans. I met Dems, Libertarians, Independents, Republicans and Conservatives. What we wanted and still want is just to be heard. Act like we matter, Mr. President, because it was you that said you were going to be the president of all of us. We don't feel we have a voice in Washington or even sometimes in our state govt's. And you say "the protest was for the cameras?" Yes, but how else nowadays do you get the powers to hear or see if not for cameras? How do you think we are seeing what is going on in Iran? Through the cameras! It proves again that protest is ok for some but not all. You say, "When a government stops listening to its people, they take to the streets like Iran." I say when a govt stops listening to even a segment of its people, it is a travesty if other segments denigrate, ridicule or otherwise debase them for speaking out. My coworkers at the (very liberal) university I work at were well aware of my participation in the tea party I attended. When the media made us out to be right wing racist insurgents, Obama snickered. I tried to laugh it off. But it irks me when I know the facts. And by the way, as a cancer patient, I support the availability of health care for all American citizens. I just don't agree with a blackout of ideas or input from other sides.
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          • Author by foghornleghorn (June 22, 2009 2:18 pm ET)
            5 3
            Wow. What an unhinged post.

            The tea baggers were allowed their hissy fit. Nobody tried to stop them. They were simply ridiculed (deservedly so).

            You must remember that conservatives are the MINORITY by the vote of the people. Their ideas have been REJECTED.

            And finally, quit your whining. Nobody's trying to silence Fox News or the conservatives. In fact, Gramps was on Face the Nation for the 27th time last Sunday.
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            • Author by mjh (June 22, 2009 6:09 pm ET)
              3 3
              "You must remember that conservatives are the MINORITY by the vote of the people." - foghornleghorn


              But fog, you gotta remember: these are the 22% -- or less -- that were die-hard Dubya supporters; they figured if they shouted loudly enough, they'd SOUND like a majority.

              As I keep saying about wingnuts, basic math is not their friend.
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          • Author by mjh (June 22, 2009 5:54 pm ET)
            3 1
            "What a hypocrite he is! He said, "The universal rights to assembly & free speech must be respected." He agrees with this unless it is a group of American patriots peacefully gathered at Tea Parties." - DixieRose


            Well now, Dixie -- I don't recall Obama ordering the FBI to crack down on any of the teabaggers like the Iranian gov't has -- and nobody EVER said they couldn't have their freedom of speech; I rather enjoyed watching the teabagging idiots complain about the tax cut 95% of them were getting . . .


            "Thank God for Fox News, or we conservatives wouldn’t have a voice in the media at all!"

            Yeah, yeah -- without the Fox Comedy Channel, there'd be no Rush Limpballs, no Savage Wiener, no Crazy Annie Coulter, no Michelle Malkin, no Washington Times, no National Review, no Newsmax, no Whirled Nut Daily, no Drudge Report, no . . .
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            • Author by hurricaneyankee52983 (June 23, 2009 12:06 pm ET)
              1  
              mjh, you know IO think thisworld would be a much nicer place without those CONSERVATIVE MEDIA CLOWNS.
              Report Abuse
          • Author by shaggles (June 23, 2009 2:17 pm ET)
            1  
            Remind me. How did Obama try to stop the Tea Parties?
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          • Author by terrapin53 (June 23, 2009 3:28 pm ET)
            1  
            The only thing that got in the way of the Tea Party in Maryland was rain. Oh, I guess Obama controls the weather too.
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        • Author by robyn20094113 (June 22, 2009 2:57 am ET)
          4  
          Watch Glenn Beck's May 2009, interview with Georgian President Saakashvili.
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      • Author by oscar the grouch (June 20, 2009 9:28 pm ET)
        6  
        Pre '79 would predate the taking of the American Embassy (latter part of 1979, I think). Pre '79 would predate Khomeni's return to power. Pre '79 would be the era of the Shah. Not the best of times for many Iranian, but then things have not changed a whole lot, it appears.
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        • Author by Easy to refute wingnuts (June 22, 2009 7:08 am ET)
          2  
          Pre '79 would predate the taking of the American Embassy (latter part of 1979, I think).
          That's why I typed "around the time Iranians took an American Embassy," and not "the time Iranians took an American Embassy." Words have meanings, and I choose them rather carefully.
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      • Author by puppienrainbows (June 20, 2009 11:25 pm ET)
          5
        Strawman alert from the resident troll!
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      • Author by shaggles (June 23, 2009 2:19 pm ET)
        1  
        No. He's thinking of when the west had easy access to their oil.
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    • Author by worrierking (June 20, 2009 7:00 pm ET)
      6 2
      Right, because prior to 1979, the Iranians loved the Shah so much.

      I'd like a pony, but I'm big enough to know it ain't going to happen.

      I'd advise you to grow the flock up Charles.
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    • Author by Qazu23 (June 20, 2009 10:48 pm ET)
      1  
      Pre-79' Iran was not a place to be, esp. for young Iranians. Why does the media not understand that the revolution was supported by the masses? Furthermore, not all for the "reformist" candidates. Only in the relatively liberal Tehran and Isfahan are you seeing major protests. The current system of faith and state is something that most Iranians wish to keep and that is a fact. The media here will never report that...
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    • Author by eddiebear2 (June 20, 2009 11:36 pm ET)
        9
      So, I guess this is more important, according to media.
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      • Author by magnolialover (June 21, 2009 6:32 pm ET)
        6  
        What are you trying to assert? That there's been no media coverage of what is happening in Iran? Because if you're doing that, Mr., you possibly couldn't be any further from the truth.
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      • Author by shaggles (June 23, 2009 2:48 pm ET)
        1  
        Yeah. It's dumb but no more so than reporting on Bush going mountain biking at the height of the Iraq war.
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    • Author by fawltylogic (June 21, 2009 12:40 am ET)
      4 2
      He looks like he belongs to the Republican chapter of Springfield, the guys that have meetings at Mr Burns' house.
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    • Author by tjmccool2284 (June 21, 2009 5:15 am ET)
      4 1
      His rhetoric will get the Ayatollahs to give up nuclear weapons? Chuckie does realize that Mousavi was a supporter of Iran's nuclear program and has come out since the election confirming that position?
      Of course, he does know that, but it doesn't fit his bizarre scenario.
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      • Author by 3rdParty (June 22, 2009 1:30 pm ET)
           
        "His rhetoric will get the Ayatollahs to give up nuclear weapons? Chuckie does realize that Mousavi was a supporter of Iran's nuclear program and has come out since the election confirming that position?
        Of course, he does know that, but it doesn't fit his bizarre scenario."        -- by tjmccool2284

        Yea, I was in contact with a friend who lives in Iran. Those contacts were cut off several days ago.

        A lot of the pro-Mousavi protesters are protesting against Ahmadinejad. A lot of those people feel that the "Brainwashed Westernized Mind" is just as bad as Ahmadinejad's. Therefore, a lot of those people are protesting for their own democracy. They don't want to be another puppet of the U.S. They want to control their own resources on their own terms. They want to create their own democracy based on their culture not ours.

        The fact that Iran even had the types of debates and "elections" that they just did, was news to most Americans. That's because our media and Government is also to blame for perpetuating this archaic and hateful image of Iranians since the end of the 70s. Unless you were in contact with people who live in Iran, most of you never even had a clue that there were so many Iranians who live a pretty liberal lifestyle; Until these recent broadcasts of the protests displayed that element of their beautiful society.

        Unlike the way Krauthammer is ignorant to this anti-westernized attitude; I believe that President Obama is fully aware of the situation on the ground. The President knows that if he backs the protesters with strong words that gets spewed all throughout the media, then the protesters will also start burning American flags and fake Obama props.
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    • Author by rwmacdonald2091 (June 21, 2009 5:59 am ET)
      5 1
      Did anybody really understand what this right wing crackpot said. My head hurts from trying to follow it

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      • Author by NdlovukaziThor (June 21, 2009 8:41 pm ET)
        3  
        Right. And only getting every other word because some OBNOXIOUS KEYBOARD STABBING was going on at the same time.

        "Let's throw on Krauthammer, he likes to blab on a lot and scare people. I'll get to update my Twitter!"
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    • Author by CamperDan (June 21, 2009 10:09 am ET)
        4
      You folks are something else. Since when does what someone look like determine if what they say has value? And the pre 1979 reference is too a regime that had some sanity. Was the Shah perfect? I didn't say that. But he didn't go around talking about wiping a country off the face of the earth. Or that there were no homosexuals in his country. Worse than all that though is none of you addressed the question. The question was is President Obama doing enough. You Lefties go on the attack like sharks on chum and offer no intellectual response to Charles Krauthammer or advice for the President. I understand schools out for summer but good grief, go play Grand Theft Auto if this is the level of dialogue you have.
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      • Author by solon (June 22, 2009 6:08 pm ET)
        3  
        No the Shah didnt go around making such stupid statements. Instead he was named worlds worst torturer by Amnesty International. Tortured and murdered thousands every year and sent his Savak all around the world killing opponents. No one said anything about wiping Israel off the face of the map that was a mistranslation. Amad is a nutbag no question but he has no real power except as a figurehead and the Shah had ABSOlUTE power. You wouldnt know intellectual dialogue if it set fire to your garage. I would tell YOu to go play Donkey Kong but that would obviously be way beyond your intellectual capacity. Perhaps you could aim for tic-tac-toe. I know you are brainwashed and have no real idea what you are talking about but at least try not to be so embarassingly inane
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    • Author by dlkincaid1946 (June 21, 2009 6:57 pm ET)
         
      Why do you comment on anything this person says - HE hates, I guess I would be bitter to. It guess I should feel sorry for him - but he is so EVIL, how could I?
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    • Author by latanza (June 22, 2009 11:54 am ET)
         
      In other words you means "beneficial to me Iran".
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    • Author by terrapin53 (June 23, 2009 3:28 pm ET)
      2 1
      All of these neo-cons have been wrong for the last 8 years. What makes anyone, even Fox, believe they are relevant to anything going on. All they want is the war machine to go from state to state thinking we should just kick a$$ and make them into a little USA. Idiots all!!!!!!!!!
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