In a 2006 State of The Union address, President George W. Bush gave a direct message to the young people of Iran. "And tonight, let me speak directly to the citizens of Iran: America respects you, and we respect your country," he said. "We respect your right to choose your own future and win your own freedom. And our nation hopes one day to be the closest of friends with a free and democratic Iran."
An attempt to do exactly that appears to be happening at this very moment in the streets of Tehran and beyond in the wake of what is seen as a sham of a "democratic" reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. While the Iranian dictatorship-called a government-is attempting to completely censor all legitimate news reports on the situation, brave freedom fighting citizens are finding ways to bypass their government's firewalls through social networking sites such as twitter and facebook to reflect the carnage of brutality in which they are battling.
President Barack Hussein Obama has taken a different approach in U.S. relations with Iran in lieu of Bush who refused to negotiate with Iran's government and appeared to not only encourage but to implore the citizens of Iran to fight for their freedom.
Iran's government used Obama's own words last week to legitimize their nuclear ambitions that would strengthen their power over the region. Mohammad Kowsari, of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission sited Obama's willingness "for negotiations with Iran without preconditions" and his acknowledgment of "Iran's nuclear right" in a recent Cairo speech. Obama has also had little to say to the citizens fighting for democracy in the streets of Iran in spite of political pressure from both Democrats and Republicans.
It was only after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution on Friday -in "support for all Iranian citizens who embrace the values of freedom, human rights, civil liberties, and rule of law."-that Obama came forth with a tepid response that did nothing to encourage their continued fight for democracy in Iran. His response instead focused on the citizens' "universal rights to assembly and free speech" and called on the Iranian government to stop any violent reactions "against its own people" for protesting.