Huffington Post Editor Nico Pitney Questions Obama About Iran During His Press Conference (VIDEO)

Nico Pitney, National Editor of The Huffington Post, has been covering the Iranian presidential election and the subsequent turbulence with his extensive live-blog. During President Obama's press conference this afternoon he called on Pitney who asked him a question solicited from an Iranian on the ground in the country.

Pitney asked: "Under which conditions would you accept the election of Ahmadinejad, and if you do accept it without any significant changes in the conditions there isn't that a betrayal of what the demonstrators there are working for?"

Watch the President's response below.

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Comments

[Ben Cohn]

I completely agree, Pitny's coverage of Iran has been enlightened, but this is was clearly a loaded question, with no possible answer. You lose if you do and you lose if you don't. I don't think any less of him as a journalist by any means, but it was an impossible question for the President of the United States to answer without being wrong is some way. The conversation about Iran deserves so much more then simply how what we do affects anything.

[Linda Milazzo - Huffpost Blogger]

Great job, Nico --

Your live blogging of the events in Iran has been fantastic -- and then taking a question from an Iranian in Iran direct to the President -- that's PRICELESS journalism. Terrific!!

Much thanks,
Linda

[Linda Milazzo - Huffpost Blogger]

One follow-up proviso to my first comment, Nico, that I should have added before, regarding the question you chose to ask:

Although I loved the fact that an Iranian was included in the conversation, I'm not certain that particular question is the one I would have asked. There are so many socio-poli­tical-reli­gious factions at work in Iran with their own personal agendas that I don't know who to trust. It's such a complex issue that unless one is certain of the motives of the questioner, the question itself is suspect. That may be the case here where the questioner seemed to be baiting President Obama by suggesting that any acceptance of Ahmadinejad as President would be a "betrayal" of the protesters. It was a bit of a loaded question for a US President many of us hope will move forward DIPLOMATICALLY, regardless of who Iran ultimately designates as leader. Diplomacy is what we need more than anything to diffuse any military involvement.

[lady49]

I concur-
While were our interest in the Iranian election is intense-
It is not up to the United States to accept or reject the elected leader of Iran.
Iran must elect it's own leader and then the United States President can proceed from there.

[catero]

Linda, good point. Although I don't think we can blame Nico as this was the queston Obama wanted him to ask.