Every week the members of the Watcher’s Council nominate the posts they think were the finest of the previous week. The entire list of submissions is here These are the submissions this week. As you might expect Iran was the preferred topic.
Joshuapundit, “Iran ‘Election’ Update”
Freedom Fighter gives his take on what’s going on in Iran and I don’t find it terribly different from my own. He provides several very useful links, including to a consideration of the views of Ahmadinejad’s primary challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi. He’s no classical liberal.
The Razor, “The Coward in Chief”
Scott’s view on what’s happening in Iran is somewhat different and more optimistic than FF’s or mine. In his post he takes President Obama to task for not coming out in vigorous support of the nascent opposition.
Rhymes With Right, “Obama Should Fire Panetta For Cheney Smear — But Supports Him Instead”
Greg thinks CIA chief Leon Panetta’s assertion that former Vice President Dick Cheney is almost “wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point” was beyond the pale. I suppose this is what happens when you install a career politician as CIA head.
The Glittering Eye, “Dammit They Did What I Said”
It looks like my catch has gone viral now. I wrote it almost 24 hours before the big guys picked the quote up and submitted it to the Watcher more than 12 hours before. If I’d known what would happen, I would have submitted something else since now my fellow Council members probably think I picked it up from Glenn.
Wolf Howling, “Iran 6/16 – The Fire Still Burning”
GW’s post on the events in Iran is just chock full of useful insights including his observations about the divergence of Khomeinism from mainstream Shi’a thought, the character of the factional battle among the mullahs, and what our objectives should be in matter:
The goal should be to see a true democracy put in its place, both for our self defense and for the good of the Iranian people. The only restraint on that goal should be that none of our overt actions provide a pretext for the regime to claim that the grass roots resistance to the theocracy is actually a foreign plot – a replay of the 1953 CIA led Mossadeq coup.
I see that GW is repeating that bit of Soviet disinformation which overstates U. S. involvement. I think the coup was native Iranian work and that the Mossadegh government would have collapsed without British or American help. We just helped it along a bit. Royalists weren’t the only dissidents then. There were also Islamists and communists and the communist Tudeh had plenty of Soviet support.
The Provocateur, “ACORN and Ratner: Alinsky Would be Proud”
Mike continues his reporting on ACORN and its relationship with the Obama Administration.
Bookworm Room, “Obama’s belief in the power of his own rhetoric”
Bookworm comments on President Obama’s reactions to the events in Iran in much the same vein as Scott, above.
Right Truth, “When the unbelievable becomes true”
Debbie comments on the plan that has been floated to level portions of some cities like Detroit, Flint, and Memphis whose populations have declined sharply in an effort to reduce costs.
Soccer Dad, “The campaign’s the thing”
Soccer Dad is critical of the Obama Administration’s Israel policy. I can see why.
The Colossus of Rhodey, “John Rosenberg shreds the “disparate impact†theory”
Hube points to a post that’s a critique of the “disparate impact” theory of discrimination.
Mere Rhetoric, “Liberal Foreign Policy Experts: This Ahmadinejad Reelection Was Just So Unpredictable!”
Omri’s post is an extremely interesting analysis of the evolution of thought among those who are giving the Obama Administration advice on Iran.
Well, I’ve decided which posts I’ll vote for this week. Which posts would get your votes?
I think that your take on the Mossadeq coup is correct. But this has grown into legend inside Iran. This is the case where we have to respond to perception, irrespective of the validity of the perception.