GOP: Shameful Opposition

Republicans have been criticizing President Obama for not having been more outspoken in support of the masses in the streets of Iran. They choose to ignore what happened when Republican presidents encouraged the rising of the Shia in southern Iraq in 1991 and, indirectly, of Hungarians in that country in 1956. In both cases the people involved assumed that the United States would come to their rescue and instead were slaughtered en masse by Saddam in Iraq and by the Soviet forces in Hungary.

On February 15, 1991, President George H.W. Bush appeared on the Voice of America radio station to tell Iraqis "There is another way for the bloodshed to stop: And that is, for the Iraqi military and the Iraqi people to take matters into their own hands and force Saddam Hussein, the dictator, to step aside..." Assuming the nearby US forces would come to their help, Shiite Iraqi soldiers returning from their defeat in Kuwait joined with civilians in a number of cities in the southern part of Iraq to attack Saddam loyalists, engaging them in street battles with small arms. However, these freedom fighters were lacking in firepower, and the government counterattacked with heavy weaponry, killing many thousands of Shia. In retaliation for the uprising, upon reentering the Southern cities government troops summarily executed large numbers of civilians. The Shia felt betrayed by the United States, and this became but one more reason they are still leaning toward supporting Iran.

The Hungarian uprising against Soviet domination took place against the backdrop of Dwight Eisenhower's administration's campaign of public diplomacy promoting freedom for the people of Eastern Europe. The president noted at the time that the US had a mission "to help those freedom-loving peoples who need and want and can profitably use our aid that they may advance in their ability for self-support and may add strength to the security and peace of the free world." During the uprising, Radio Free Europe aired several broadcasts giving combat advice to Hungarian fighters and encouraging their campaign, and many Hungarians thought that the US would offer more active support .Despite its rhetoric, the US did not extend any actual assistance, and the movement was crushed by Soviet troops with over 2,000 Hungarians killed and hundreds of thousands later fleeing the country.

Now the Republicans cry "The president of the United States is supposed to lead the free world, not follow it...He's been timid and passive more than I would like," (Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C.). And, "[Obama] needs to speak to the people of Iran, the people of the Middle East, and he has to make a forceful statement on behalf of the people on the streets for freedom and democracy," (Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich.). They disregard, in their desperate quest to find a political foothold that even if the president did listen to them and his words did not lead to even more bloodshed, he surely would discredit the uprising in the eyes of many Iranians who are suspicious of Western intentions, for some very good reasons.

The GOP should learn the difference between a loyal opposition that raises serious objections in a sensible manner--and a crazed one that is foaming at the mouth, and feels free to endanger masses of good people, of freedom fighters. This is especially true in dealing with foreign policy, where the stakes are so high, grandstanding is particularly shameful, and hardly a way to win points for the next election.

**I will respond to the comments of those persons who are willing to identify themselves, because I hold this essential for a civilized dialogue.

Amitai Etzioni is a professor of international affairs at The George Washington University and the author of Security First (Yale, 2007). He can be contacted at [e-mail].

Comments

[lgillooly]

The truth is that the Elected Republicans,talk radio and Fox are loyal to Party over anything else. They claim to love this Country, but only if they are in power. To undermine the President on EVERY issue is treasonous. I do not agree with eerything Obama does, but their attacks on him 24/7 are appalling.
Obama did the absolute right thing in staying out of the Iranian protests. They know it, but are trying to score political points. They should be ashamed.

[Articulator]

The Repubs are way too obvious, whatever Obama does on any topic, they throw a tantrum. It's especially sad on issues when they totally reverse their opinion from just a few years ago. Thank God Obama is the one in office during this issue. He is doing great.

[bimplebean]

Anyone in favor of expressing forceful support of the protesters in Iran must also explain how they're going to help them. U.S. military power? I don't THINK so.

[butlerj29]

Obama's responses had to be gradual: to come out immediately belligerent is foolish; we have an awful record as far as "talking the talk"--and then distracting ourselves when the massacre of innocents who want a voice begins. I'm not surprised the Right has lashed out, it seems the only thing they are interested in doing-- they lost the election, they've lost influence, they have shrunk to the conservative core, and only seem to want to clasp a death grip around Obama-- "if we go down, you go down w/ us!"

[PDWorldwide]

Absolutely no one would mistake Iran 2009 with Hungary 1956. The analogy simply doesn't hold up. And Etzioni knows that.

To call Lindsey Graham or John McCain, who also criticized Obama's weak response early on, a member of a "crazed" opposition who are "foaming at the mouth" is absurd. You are practicing the same partisan rhetoric that you claim to oppose. Fortunately President Obama has finally come around to the position he should have held from the beginning--for freedom and democracy and against dictatorship and repression. See the following except from the Washington Post editorial:

The president's first and most important step (in changing direction on Iran) was to side unambiguously with the Iranian people who "stand up for justice" and against "the threats, the beatings and imprisonments" delivered by the beleaguered regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He said he had watched the video of Neda Agha Soltan, the young woman whose brutal slaying has been broadcast across the Internet, calling it "searing" and "heartbrea­king." He said: "It's important for us to make sure that -- that we let the Iranian people know that we are watching what's happening, that they are not alone in this process."

Let's be clear who the bad guys are. Not the Republicans, not the Israelis, not the Conservatives--but rather the Ayatollah's militia, the Revolutionary Guards and the military-fascist faction of the Iranian government led by the so-called winner of the election.

[evenhanded23]

'Absolutely no one would mistake Iran 2009 with Hungary 1956. The analogy simply doesn't hold up. And Etzioni knows that.'

Yeah....ap­parently he doesn't know that. To state, categorically, that the analogy doesn't hold up...and that's all you need to say...is nothing more than garbage.

The only situation that is exactly the same as Hungary in '56 is Hungary in '56. The point of the article is that it won't help Iranian's to tell them we will come to your aid unless we actually do plan to come to their aid.

"You are practicing the same partisan rhetoric that you claim to oppose."

How exactly should Etzioni describe unreasonable partisan rhetoric on the part of Graham or McCain? There is nothing absurd about it...Graha­m and McCain want to criticize everything Obama does...eve­rything. It's part of the GOP game plan. Conservatives and Republicans want Obama to fail...the­y get their marching orders from Rush Limbaugh and the far right. So exactly how should Obama react to them when he knows what they are trying to do???

[socialtalker]

no, PDWorldwide, obama wisely escalated his statements has the violence/clashes escalated, but leaving nothing for the amen...z to grasp on. making himself seem foolish when he says obama is like bush.
the rebels in iran dont need a statement from the us prez to keep fighting and the whole planet knows which side the us is on.

[Rogan]

I kind of think of all fascist and totalitarian regimes and movements and all of their members and followers as "the bad guys." The Ayatollah's militia, and the maniacs who watch Fox News here at home, all seem to be part of the same crowd, from where I sit.

[alohakauai]

Because you say so. Right? Riiiiiiiight.

[DavidJames]

PD,

Actually the Republicans are the bad guys, undermining our president (in a time of war).

Also you should be clear about the type of government Iran has. It is an Islamic republic. While Iran may tend toward religious totalitarianism, it is very unlikely that there is the corporate/­government collusion necessary for fascism.

Regards,

[CelticMajic]

Now that the President has moved toward the advice of those dastardly republicans are they still the shameful opposition? Has your opinion of the correct response "evolved"?

[silverball]

excellent read....th­anx.....

[babybaby]

the reason Obama cannot say anything is that he has already committed to open dialogue with Mahmoud Ahj. He has already stated that he wanted to talk with this dictator and now to go back on it would make his position weak. By the way, there is nothing wrong with opposing our president on things he is choosing to do or not to do. We still have that freedom for now. I am amazed at how defensive he and his followers are to any criticism. Bush, though I couldnt stand him, at least had the maturity to ignore his critics.

[socialtalker]

rubbish! he has and EVERYONE has stated very clearly WHY he cant come out as a hardliner, it would hurt the iranian rebellion, why on earth is that so difficult for people like yourself to understand? and SPARE everyone that whiny "why cant we criticize the president" claptrap, the left has slammed obama on many issue like the bank bailout, torture and transparent government. where have you been?

[hhscarletgray]

Very good read. The Republicans need to stop labeling everything Obama does as the worst thing he has ever done. This sort of attack leaves the GOP with no credibility whatsoever. Conservatives have done more crying in 5 months than liberals did in Bush's entire 8 years.

[Rogan]

And if Obama ever DOES do the kind of thing that ought to really rile up the "loyal opposition," well, it's too late - they've been throwing false tantrums for six months - the real tantrum, with good reasons behind it, would go unnoticed.­.. they've become The Political Party That Cried Wolf.

[Spesabsquemetu]

*correction

Shameful opposition captures well the disgraceful remarks by some individuals, whose intent appears to be more concerned with undermining the president, while scoring narcissistic political points.

Reckless and shameful..­.and bloated with a level of endangerment that disregards the well being of those being terrorized and victimized in Iran.

[socialtalker]

BINGO!

[Horus45]

Mr Etzioni,
You should have also mentioned how John McCain led the people of Georgia to believe that the US Military would back them up if they rose up against the Russian Government.
They were brutally beaten back by the Russian military.

[justoverit333]

great article. Thanks.

[pomegrante]

the bomb iran "neos" (both dems and repubs) have been salivating for Obama to execute military action against Iran. This is why the msm keeps this nonsense up 24hrs a day.

btw,great article...­.Monica

[wallyone]

After the Gulf War we made the incredible mistake of allowing Saddam to keep his helicopters and other hardware so that he could put down the Shia rebellion. It was a tragic and stupid error on the part of our military and political leaders. Our Iranian friends paid a terrible price, and, of course, we are now once again reaping the fruit of what we sowed.

[Weirdwriter]

Interestingly, there has been a number of high-profile Republicans who have supported the president's actions and words on Iran's current unrest: Sen. Dick Luger, Pat Buchanan, Tom Tancredo, just to name three.

I'm sure there are more -- they are being rather strangely overlooked by a news media that appears to be more interested in division.

[CaveatMagnusFrater]

Television news shows are profit oriented. They must compel viewers to watch their show. Therefore they need a story. Stories are never about contentment, they need conflict to be entertaining. Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature or Man vs. Himself are the generally accepted motiffs and Fox, MSNBD and CNN follow the prescription diligently.

[Mikeatle]

Which is why I do not watch the news shows. I do watch my local news, but I come here to HuffPost for international news.