President Obama: Republicans are hostage takers (video)

This is some of that "new atmosphere" Obama has brought to Washington.

Obama is MIA on Iran Oppression, but Hillary Opens Fire

Finally someone in the Obama administration has taken notice of the brutal oppression taking place in Iran. Unfortunately, it isn't President Obama. It is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She slammed Iran and called them out for "ruthless repression" of demonstrators.

Breitbart reported:

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday slammed what she called the "ruthless repression" of demonstrators against the Iranian regime.

"We have deep concerns about their behaviour, we have concerns about their intentions and we are deeply disturbed by the mounting signs of ruthless repression that they are exercising against those who assemble and express viewpoints that are at variance with what the leadership of Iran wants to hear," Clinton said..

Aljazeera Slams Obama for Failing to Support Democracy in Iran

The biggest Arab news service, Aljazeera, is severely criticizing President Obama for not standing up sooner and more forcefully for the democracy protesters in Iran.

From Aljazeera News:

It took two weeks of intensified government repression against protesters in Iran before Barack Obama, the US president, moved from cautious commentary to describing the crackdown as "violent and unjust".

The acknowledged elephant in the room preventing a more robust US response to the Iranian crisis is the Anglo-American-organised coup in 1953, which overthrew Mohammed Mossadeqh, the nationalist prime minister, and brought the 33-year-old Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, back to the country as unchallenged ruler.

The coup was motivated by Mossadeqh's and the Iranian parliament's decision to nationalise the British-controlled Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in 1951, and by the fear that Soviet-inspired communists might take over the government.

The US-sponsored overthrow of Mossadeqh and our subsequent whole-hearted support for the Shah's brutal rule are ignominious chapters in the history of US foreign policy.

But does a coup 55 years ago really disqualify the US from standing up forcefully for democracy in Iran today?

It is highly unlikely.

US policies flawed

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, do not fear the US but rather their own people's desire to live in a country more like the US.

In fact, in poll after poll Iranians have revealed themselves to be among the most pro-American and pro-democratic people in the Muslim majority world.

Hat tip Gateway Pundit.