Obama considers actions’ consequences

Charles Krauthammer is one of those conservatives who twists everything into a criticism of President Barack Obama. In his Jan. 3 column, Krauthammer said that by not offering words of support to Iranian protesters, Obama “distanced himself from this new birth of freedom” and “conferred legitimacy” on the Iranian regime. Krauthammer knows the situation is far more complicated than that.

The Iranian regime's tactic is to discredit the protest movement by saying it is being orchestrated by American outsiders and the CIA. The president was in a tough situation because speaking out would been counterproductive. It would have harmed the protest movement and strengthened the regime. The regime would use his words to discredit and crush the movement.

“See, the Americans are behind this,” they would say, and much of the Iranian public would believe it.

We have moved beyond the cowboy mentality of George W. Bush. It is good to have a president who knows how to weigh the consequences of his words and actions and act in a smarter way to achieve our goals

Nick Denert

Solon