Mike Pence vs Mike Pence
By Heather Thursday Jun 18, 2009 12:00pm
Mike Pence can't even manage to keep his spin straight during a single interview. h/t John Cole: Ignore the Words Coming Out of My Mouth.
Wolf Blitzer: As we've reported, Iran's state-run media is insisting that the U.S. is meddling, meddling in what it calls Iran's affairs and says that is intolerable. The Obama Administration strongly denies that. Let's bring in Republican Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana. He's the Chairman of the House Republican Conference, a key member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. You have introduced a resolution in Congress to support the dissidents - what you call the dissidents in Iran. Would that be seen as meddling, Congressman, in Iranian affairs?
Congressman Mike Pence: Well, I'm not really worried how it would be seen by the tyrants in Tehran. What I'm interested in doing is what Americans have done throughout our history, and that is to stand with those and to give encouragement to those that are courageously standing for free elections, free expression, for democracy. And it is hard to look at these past five day and the images have been so well covered here on CNN and across the internet and not be deeply moved by the courage of people that are at least risking their liberties and probably risking their lives for free and fair elections and democracy.
Blitzer: So specifically, Congressman what do you want the President to say and do?
Pence: Well look, I appreciate the fact that the President said the protesters have a right to be heard and respected and I appreciate the fact that he said he is troubled but I respectfully disagree with the administration's decision to essentially draw the line at not meddling and not interfering.
Look, the cause of America is freedom. And in that cause, we must never be silent. And if the President wants to draw the line and say that we are not going to stand with those brave citizens of Iran who are taking to the streets these last five days on behalf of democracy, on behalf of the freedom of speech and free elections, then I think the Congress behind me ought to take up a resolution that very simply expresses the support of the American people, through their elected representatives, for the people of Iran who are taking a stand for freedom.
Wolf, I really believe we may have an opportunity for a fresh start here, not with the tyrants in Tehran, not with Ahmadinejad, who even looks at what this administration is doing and accuses them of meddling, but rather with the good and decent and courageous people of Iran who are stepping forward and risking their liberty and their lives for principles that we as Americans cherish.
Blitzer: The President was on CNBC in an interview and he said the differences between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi may not necessarily be as significant as a lot of folks on the outside are hoping they are. I'm going to play a little clip for you. Listen to this.
President Obama [clip]: Although there is amazing ferment taking place in Iran, that the difference between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi in terms of their actual policies may not be as great as has been advertised. Either way, we were going to be dealing with an Iranian regime that has historically been hostile to the United States.
Blitzer: Is he right, Congressman?
Pence: Well, look, I don't think we should be in the business of endorsing the opposition candidate. What I want the Congress of the United States to do, and frankly what I would like to see the President of the United States of America do, is speak a word of support to the people of Iran. Those demonstrators, those soccer players playing in South Korea, at least for half of the game, are wearing the green arm bands. They are walking out onto the streets of Tehran and they're taking a stand. I would suggest not so much for a person, but for a principle. It is the principle of free and fair elections; it is the principle of a free and independent press, the freedom of association.
We ought to affirm the fact that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Iranians are risking their liberty and even perhaps their lives to take a stand upon the values which we have really founded this nation. But again, the President can draw the line where he wants. I'm working with Republicans and Democrats here on Capitol Hill to give the opportunity for the American people to be heard through their elected representatives. I think Congress ought to pass a resolution that says to the people of Iran who are standing for freedom and free elections, that we support you. And that's the message that Americans have sent around the globe for generations.
Blitzer: We got to leave it there, Congressman. Good luck. Thanks very much.
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What was Cheney's voting record in support of those fighting an oppressive regime and end apartheid in South Africa?
It is NOT the charge of this nation to push their definition of freedom upon other nations. As a matter of fact Mr. Pence, THAT is the recipe for war and almost the definition of a warmongers excuse for engaging in war. GOD, I wish these republicans would just shut the F* up and allow this administration to do its job.
I want to see what patricia has to say.
The Gov't the Iranians want is NOT what the USA has. Obama is right to Butt Out.
Pence is just another weathervane, Wolf is another media Yappy-Dog jumping around yipping and peeing on his host.
Pres Obama is handling this situation. I really liked this statment.
I'm an Iranian living in Canada. A few hours ago I talked to my brother who is a student at Sharif University, he was at the big rally yesterday and they were only feet away from Karoubi when they marched from the university entrance to Azadi square. He asked what had Obama had said and I started reading the transcript. When I got to "the United States can be a handy political football, or discussions with the United States [can be]" my brother sighed and said thank God this guy gets it
The Republicans don't know what their talking about.
I forgot to get the link but will if need be.
In other words we don't like what the president is doing, no matter what he is doing even if he is doing the right thing.
The President is doing exactly the right thing. The ruling Iranian group would love for the US to step in and then they could blame all their problems on the US intrusion.
The other day Blitzer had Begala and some republican on there and she says "well the government civil servants aren't going to be working on Saturday so if you get sick on Saturday you're up the creek."
And Wolf and Begala shrugged and didn't challenge the fact that Insurance Companies ALREADY DON'T WORK SATURDAYS and have nothing to do with hospital services. It was a completely bogus argument and they lapped it up.
..
Pence's strategy (the US government publicly siding with the protesters)is win/win for the GOP and the Iranian hard line Mullahs. Ahmadinejad's backers get to use the US position as an excuse to crush popular dissent in Iran and the GOP get to use the crushing of that dissent as ammunition for their claim that the President is weak and ineffectual in foreign policy.
Thank you, Bob. I agree with you and thank you for saying it so well.
There is always a method to the republican's madness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KK9cVZvg0M&fe...
Has been meddling in Iran for years they need to get their heads out of the sand.
I have no idea what the C.I.A.'s role as agent provacateurs may have been in this election, but it is clearly historically their M.O. to meddle.
And as Alice has said on these threads, the "Supreme Leader" approved ALL four candidates for the ballot, so to him and the Revolutionary Guard it mattered NOT who got the most votes.
Interestingly, a few days before the election a poll was done and Amadenijad was waaay out front.
Plus the notorious "flyer" that was left lying about by the thousands the day after the election that said Mousavi? had won by a landslide has apparently been called bogus as no one can figure out the "source" of the information.
D-I-S-I-N-F-O-R-M-A-T-I-O-N.
And speaking of bogus elections, we had two whoppers in 2000 and 2004. Even Kerry himself admitted it!
O-H-I-O.
This whole story to me looks like one US group aided Ahmadinejad to steal the election, while another US group fomented the dissent and calls to fraud. Wouldn't be the first time the US gov played both sides.
Has been meddling in Iran for years they need to get their heads out of the sand.
I have no idea what the C.I.A.'s role as agent provacateurs may have been in this election, but it is clearly historically their M.O. to meddle.
And as Alice has said on these threads, the "Supreme Leader" approved ALL four candidates for the ballot, so to him and the Revolutionary Guard it mattered NOT who got the most votes.
Interestingly, a few days before the election a poll was done and Amadenijad was waaay out front.
Plus the notorious "flyer" that was left lying about by the thousands the day after the election that said Mousavi? had won by a landslide has apparently been called bogus as no one can figure out the "source" of the information.
D-I-S-I-N-F-O-R-M-A-T-I-O-N.
And speaking of bogus elections, we had two whoppers in 2000 and 2004. Even Kerry himself admitted it!
O-H-I-O.
Has been meddling in Iran for years they need to get their heads out of the sand.
I have no idea what the C.I.A.'s role as agent provacateurs may have been in this election, but it is clearly historically their M.O. to meddle.
And as Alice has said on these threads, the "Supreme Leader" approved ALL four candidates for the ballot, so to him and the Revolutionary Guard it mattered NOT who got the most votes.
Interestingly, a few days before the election a poll was done and Amadenijad was waaay out front.
Plus the notorious "flyer" that was left lying about by the thousands the day after the election that said Mousavi? had won by a landslide has apparently been called bogus as no one can figure out the "source" of the information.
D-I-S-I-N-F-O-R-M-A-T-I-O-N.
And speaking of bogus elections, we had two whoppers in 2000 and 2004. Even Kerry himself admitted it!
O-H-I-O.
Can we really expect the repugs to be logical and make sense at this stage of the game? Shame on all of you for this impossibly high standard.
He said he appreciated the President's statements but does not think the current administration's position goes far enough. He wants to meddle. He wants the US government to voice public support for the Iranian protestors.
That is not inconsistent with his claim that he does not particularly want to endorse the opposition candidate (whose views of the US are not that much different from Ahmadinejad's.
He is making public statements supporting the process of popular uprising against a fixed election, not any particular Iranian politician.
Tiananmen Square in 1989???:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square...
The point of the post was, in part, to show Pence being inconsistent in the very same interview. Unfortunately, the quoted and highlighted sections don't show that.
Boy, Wolf sure pinned his ears back and exposed his hypocrisy. Poor guy a sheep dressed in Wolf's clothing.
It's already established that they have no intention of saying or doing anything useful. We get it-- Whatever Obama says or does, you're against it. What a bunch of children.
"What I'm interested in doing is what Americans have done throughout our history, and that is to stand with those and to give encouragement to those that are courageously standing for free elections, free expression, for democracy." This guy is too stupid to be out in public without a balloon tied to his belt. The ignorance (feigned or otherwise) on the part of elected representatives is staggering. Tell this clown to spend a little time on Wikipedia or in the library. Or, he can start here . .
video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-867440178720802088
Actual history is only important if it can be harnessed in support of a political point. Popular mythology is usually much more relevant and effective.
How many of Pence's supporters really care about the history of the US's actual foreign policy?
Repub from the 6th district in Indiana - I believe the answer you're looking for is "a laughably small number".
Remember when the republicans were yearning to attack Iran? Was he so concerned about the Iranian people then?
Excellent point, and a point that no one in the establishment press will throw in their faces.
Expert after expert has said Obama is doing the right thing. Do not give Iran a reason to paint us as a boogeyman. Pence is more concerned with making Obama look weak than actually being constructive and some how making Iran a partner in the world community. once again the GOP proves one thing, they don't give a shit about anything but regaining power.
The problem in Iran isn't America failing to take a stand, it is and has been Iranians failing to take a stand although that failure is understandable in the context of America's animosity towards Iran and America's history of meddling in Iranian affairs, toppling Mossadegh and installing Pahlavi. America has no credibility in the matter and people like Mike Pence should back off. If he wants to reflect the attitudes and aspirations of his constituents he should focus on jobs in America and health care reform.
Mike Pence is a traitor. How dare he undermine American Policy and our President when we have our soldiers in close proximity to the unrest in Iran.
He is putting our soldiers in danger.
Why oh WHY does Mike Pence hate the soldiers!!!!
obama already said iran the world is watching. obama is letting some of this play out. obama's foreign policy approval numbers are good at this point. the (r) don't like it. they will attack obama on everything in order to create their identity. of course pence had to go into the old BUSH anti iran talking points.
Neal Cavuto just asked his guest, Richard Simmons, because the Obamas are both fit and trim, does he thinks Michelle and Barack Obama don't like fat people. Jesus H. Christ, is there anything too stupid for the right wing to talk about?
Pence and the rest are so fu*king desperate to attack the new President of only six months that they literally just say anything no matter how damned stupid it sounds. I'm surprised they haven't attacked him for being left handed. They are already scraping the bottom and they've only been doing it for six months.
persistently annoying use of his left hand. But when they do....
Once they notice they will say it is code to let people know he's a Democrat. Wait until they find out about that. First thing they are going to do is say no to everything he says and does. Of course with their short attention span they'll forget they've already been doing that for six month.
Pence has about as much sense as a cucumber.
Take it easy on the cucumbers!
But then he did... "Liberty"!
I believe you'll find that, one of their code words? ;)
Just an observation, that's all.
I believe the only solution to the demands of Republicans like Pence and McCain is to send in the one man with experience in these matters and who has their trust.
It is time to send Joe Liebermann to Tehran!
Yeah, that's the ticket and I could almost support it if they promise he must stay there and never come back here.
I'm sure with his whining voice and pouting lips he could calm things down within hours if not minutes.
A friend told me,
"Eisenhower is going to Russia."
"To stay??"
Joe could be charged with a secret secondary mission - verify that there really are no gay people in Iran.
... the situation, on his home front(s).?
They love partying and doing vodka shots together:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1969...
not once does he say that the violent repression was wrong or that Iran's opposition is tied up in clout. Because then he would also have to say that the violent repression by his party's government in 2008 outside of the RNC was wrong too.
Oh and remember Mexico's rigged election? But they're an ally, it's okay when they do it.
I am trying to remember one that wasn't.
Nice catch, Heather.
It seems ridiculous to me that these hypocritical a-holes are pullng htis crap. Today Kissinger and Armitage both came out and said Obama is doing the right thing by staying out of the issue. The do nothing, know nothing party of no is just trying to find a position to politic from. They are not patriotic and they are not good people. Mike Pence is a santimonious hypocrite.
trying to make president obama look weak and to make it look like he did something wrong/incomplete. it's NONsense. president obama is siding with the people and democratic process.
he's watching the situation. the president does not have time to throw cudos to every group. maybe i'm missing something here.
In 2000 if the American people had done what they SHOULD HAVE DONE, and been out in the streets like they are in Iran, Mike Pence and all his damned cohorts in the senate would have been screaming to the high heavens to call out the National Guard with shoot to kill orders.
These guys are just pathetic hypocrites! What else can one say about a party so obviously bent on discrediting the Obama administrations every move?
There's nothing I hate more than the retarded term "grand" old party, gop. WTF is "grand" about them? I don't mean you, but Dems look like ass kissing pussies calling those vile scoundrels that.
Pathetic doesn't even begin to cover it.
These people are real Sociopaths and they are dangerous.
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republicanism is a mental illness!
See post above.
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Twitter agreed to postpone its scheduled maintenance time to help Iranians get information and reports outside of a heavily censored country.
If this is not showing a sign of support, then what does Pence think this is?
An international community - the people who tweet, including Americans - swarmed Twitter with requests to postpone their maintenance.
Perhaps the US made an official request as well.
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This is not about "Amderican Freedoms" -- it's about Iranian election legitimacy. In keeping with long, long established INTERNATIONAL protocol -- we let them figure this out by themselves.
How would re=Thugs have felt if France had butted into the 2000 election theft by Dumbya and company?
It doesn't matter if it is actually fraud at this point. For now - we keep our yaps shut. If Obama champions the dissenters - he handicaps Mousavi. Even Kissinger endorsed the way that Obama is handling this crisis.
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Tweety had another congressman on that said that the election clearly was stolen. I yelled at tweety to ask him what evidence he had of that.
Forgive me if its really obvious, but I don't see any contradiction in what he says. If someone else sees it could you paraphrase it, please?
Hey you lying sack-of-shit republican asshole. How about the brave men and women of America, who are fighting for the right to have healthcare or freedom of choice in their personal lives?
Choke on a dogturd you rightwing hack moron. And take you talking points with you.
here's a contradiction for you. I think Mr. Pence is on the wrong side here. These kids in Iran are very much speaking up against Theocracy and speaking up for a kind of sexual liberation - precisely the things he vigorously opposes in his own country.
I seriously can't stand this guy. He's on the wrong side of almost every issue. The good news: The way these guys roll, the chances of him being found to be cheating on his wife with a gay underage prostitute are pretty fucking good.
Is there a reason C&L hasn't gotten around to mentioning Mousavi's involvement in the Iran/Contra scandal?
http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article...
http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article...
In all likelihood, Mousavi and Ahmadinejad are both lousy choices. The difference being, Mousavi is another Chalabi and Karzai, a stooge willing to sell out his own people for his own benefit. If Mousavi "wins", expect to see him kowtow to "US interests" instead of his own country's, something you couldn't accuse Ahmadinejad of doing.
And let's not ignore Christiane AmanRich...I mean, Amanpour and her Iranian background. Hers was a wealthy and connected family under the Shah's brutal regime. She's a mouthpiece with an agenda, no better than Wolf Blitzer.
I think I'm on another planet.
I'm slightly amused by all the freedom junkies wanting to spread liberty to the oppressed while, at the same time, supporting warrentless spying and imprisonment without charge of their fellow citizens.
The CIA overthrew the 1953 government in Iran on behalf of American oil companies. Republicans and too many Democrats always use the pretense of "freedom" to cover up the real motive. Which is greed. Always greed.
[in Iran's internal affairs.] Does that mean he would like for the US to declare war on Iran?
If he is so concerned for the welfare of Iran's people, I suggest he apply for a visa to go to Iran
to assist the Iranian people in their quest for all those American values that they aspire to and that we as americans hold so dear. After all, our success at spreading democracy in Iraq has been such a stellar experiment, why not spread it to Iran? And I suggest that he do it as a private concerned individual and not get the United States of America involved in his scheme. Pence is a rubber stamp Bush republican. He's not to be trusted on any issue, especially one of foreign policy or security. I wish him well on his trip to the Islamic Republic of Iran that he is SO concerned about and I wish him success in his freeing of the people from their "mullah tyrants in Tehran". In other words, the spiritual leaders they normally love and trust.
On a more substantive issue, why doesn't he just get to work and help solve this country's problem with Health Care reform and contribute positively to something that would be good for America? Oh, I forgot for a second; he can't do that because he is a republican.
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