’)Pretty big deal, sends Nowruz greeting. More in a bit.
UPDATE – From the White House:
THE PRESIDENT: Today I want to extend my very best wishes to all who are celebrating Nowruz around the world.
This holiday is both an ancient ritual and a moment of renewal, and I hope that you enjoy this special time of year with friends and family.
In particular, I would like to speak directly to the people and leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Nowruz is just one part of your great and celebrated culture. Over many centuries your art, your music, literature and innovation have made the world a better and more beautiful place.
Here in the United States our own communities have been enhanced by the contributions of Iranian Americans. We know that you are a great civilization, and your accomplishments have earned the respect of the United States and the world.
For nearly three decades relations between our nations have been strained. But at this holiday we are reminded of the common humanity that binds us together. Indeed, you will be celebrating your New Year in much the same way that we Americans mark our holidays — by gathering with friends and family, exchanging gifts and stories, and looking to the future with a renewed sense of hope.
Within these celebrations lies the promise of a new day, the promise of opportunity for our children, security for our families, progress for our communities, and peace between nations. Those are shared hopes, those are common dreams.
So in this season of new beginnings I would like to speak clearly to Iran’s leaders. We have serious differences that have grown over time. My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties among the United States, Iran and the international community. This process will not be advanced by threats. We seek instead engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect.
You, too, have a choice. The United States wants the Islamic Republic of Iran to take its rightful place in the community of nations. You have that right — but it comes with real responsibilities, and that place cannot be reached through terror or arms, but rather through peaceful actions that demonstrate the true greatness of the Iranian people and civilization. And the measure of that greatness is not the capacity to destroy, it is your demonstrated ability to build and create.
So on the occasion of your New Year, I want you, the people and leaders of Iran, to understand the future that we seek. It’s a future with renewed exchanges among our people, and greater opportunities for partnership and commerce. It’s a future where the old divisions are overcome, where you and all of your neighbors and the wider world can live in greater security and greater peace.
I know that this won’t be reached easily. There are those who insist that we be defined by our differences. But let us remember the words that were written by the poet Saadi, so many years ago: “The children of Adam are limbs to each other, having been created of one essence.”
With the coming of a new season, we’re reminded of this precious humanity that we all share. And we can once again call upon this spirit as we seek the promise of a new beginning.
Thank you, and Eid-eh Shoma Mobarak.
“It’s the Islamic takeover of America”-Evan Bayh as he passes out Alex Jones DVDs to the conservadems
Adults realize that diplomacy involves talking to your enemies. The children of the Bush II administration weren’t capable of this insight.
From what I understand, the Iranian people generally like America and Americans. A little love like this can go a very long way toward opening up communication.
Iran is also demographically a very young nation. The old mullahs are dying off, and we squandered the past eight years in failing to build some bridges to one of the most important nations in the middle east, not to mention their good friends next door in Shia-dominated Iraq.
The crazy thing is that what Obama’s doing here costs nothing (well, I guess he had to pay one of his speech-writers) and can’t hurt. It’d be unfortunate if the hard-liners stay in power for much longer (they gained lots of support when we disastrously decided to invade and occupy Iraq and they fear-mongered the people into thinking that Iran would be next), but this type of soft diplomacy doesn’t hurt at all. And I certainly hope it helps, despite the whines of poopy-diapered Republicans like Jay, Dennis, and Joaquin.
Here, I’ll preview their contributions to this thread: “WHAHHH!!! OBAMA IS AN APPEASER WHAHHH!!! NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN!!!”
“It’s the Islamic takeover of America”-Evan Bayh as he passes out Alex Jones DVDs to the conservadems.– jr
Evan Bayh would make sure the DVD’s were in the right format at least, jr.
Unlike a certain Mr. Smart Diplomacy.
There’s everyday normal awesome, and then there’s this. Well done, Mr. President.
From what I understand, the Iranian people generally like America and Americans. A little love like this can go a very long way toward opening up communication.
I realize this is anecdotal, but from what I can tell from my old roommate Cyrus, this is true, by and large. There were some older folks in his family that were- ahem- pretty conservative, but by and large the younger generation (his younger nieces and nephews, in other words) liked the cultural stuff America had to offer – nikes, Tiger Woods and so forth.
However if you get into politics with him you’d be buried in a lot of things the average American has never heard of – Muhammed Mossadeq, CIA/Mossad activity in Iran, etc.
If Iranian intelligence services had staged a coup against a democratically elected American president in 1953, we’d probably be pissed at them as well.
First came the letter to Russia about negotiating missile defense and Iran. Fearless Obama got bitch-slapped on that one.
Now this bumbling idiot trots this out!
Paging Mr. Chamberlain. Paging Mr. Chamberlain
Thats it, joaquin. Bark louder.
Wow, Jaim, way to predict Joaquin’s traipsing through here six hours before the fact. It’s like you had ESPN or something.
Did Oy Vey say ESPN??? NOW THAT’S FUNNY!
Bitch-slapped by Russia and now the Iranians get theirs!
Didn’t take long, eh?
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – Iran played down President Barack Obama’s new video message to the Iranian people on Friday, saying it welcomed the overtures but warned that decades of mistrust can’t easily be erased.
“Obama has talked of change but has taken no practical measures to address America’s past mistakes in Iran. If Mr. Obama takes concrete actions and makes fundamental changes in U.S. foreign policy toward other nations including Iran, the Iranian government and people will not turn their back on him,” Ali Akbar Javanfekr told the Iranian state-run English-language Press TV satellite station.
Obama needs to get on a plane and kiss a little ass.
That should do it, no?
Shorter joaquin: Talk is for weaklings. Nuke ‘em!
I see that ‘funnies’ aren’t your strong suit.
Oh yeah, you’re a Quaker! WTF was I thinking!
Quaker manages “funny” with a pretty good rate of return, when he has to.
You, on the other hand, know nothing about geopolitics or funny. (Or else you might have realized that Oy Vey knew what he was typing when he wrote “ESPN.”)
Ahmedinajad’s rise to power is a direct result of Bush Diplomacy. It’s all well and good to yell about Chamberlain, but this situation is not an accurate analogue for the leadup to World War II.
Spider, what are you, the designated wing-man today?
You got a lot of damn nerve talking down other peoples funny, there, Joker.
I’m sure you find your own little bon-mots endlessly amusing.
So, can we get back to the Iranian bitch-slapping we just got?
“Obama needs to get on a plane and kiss a little ass.
That should do it, no?
Maybe Obama should take queues from dead presidents and send a cake and a bible.
and a DVD collection!
Jesus, joaquin, if you think that the Iranian statement was a “bitch slap” then you’re a bigger weenie than I could have imagined. Iran’s statement was fairly typical engagement–”You should acknowledge how you wronged us before we can move forward.”
Unless, I guess, you’re one of those who thinks America Does No Wrong (and that anybody who thinks America ever has Done Wrong must believe that America Does No Right).
Obama extended a hand, Iran refused it, but expressed that it did so because it wasn’t ready to take his hand. This is, in fact, progress.
I take it your view of such diplomacy is to get all huffy and ask “How dare you refuse my hand, cretin?” and then ball it into a fist.
joaquin: bitch-slapping
WTF?
I don’ thin’ that word means what you thin’ it means.
Joaquin, I have a reading list for you. Wikipedia will do just fine.
Mossadegh, Muhammed
Operation AJAX
Anglo-Iranian Oil Company
Pahlavi, Shah Muhammed Reza; and American support of
SAVAK
Take your time, kiddo.
Don’t forget
Schwarzkopff, Sr., Norman
Sean – Everyone knows what it meant, but you. Maybe you need to get out more.
Spider – This is the second time our president has ‘reached out’ and inside of 12 hours both attempts were rudely brushed-back. Maybe you’re fine with that, most folks aren’t.
And please don’t back-pedal by saying this is a typical engagement. Is it typical for a President, of any country, to video a ‘peace’ message (including Arabic subtitles) to another country only to be immediately rebuffed?
I don’t think you could really call the Russian or the Iranian response a “bitch-slap”, as you so colorfully put it.
We’ve been pricks to both countries for years now. Gonna take time. Neither one of the responses equate to “Fuck you, Imperialist swine!,” so that’s a start.
I know, Joker, you were itching to get your war on and now you have to wait.
Wah.
Not just rebuffed, but rebuffed by Ahmadinejad’s press adviser.
(including Arabic subtitles)
Farsi. Carry on…
Neither one of the responses equate to “Fuck you, Imperialist swine!,”
Which would have played quite well among the conservatives in both countries, so good for them.
Before I go, please find where someone outside of this brilliant crowd is putting a positive spin on the Iranian bitch-slapping we just got.
Later.
Eh, Parthenon the White House (see below) calls it Persian subtitles. Don’t you look foolish!
Anyone notice that there are no American flags in the video, but when you go here http://www.whitehouse.gov/Nowruz/ the flags are there. Must be an Obama/flag thing.
Later. I mean it this time
I see that ‘funnies’ aren’t your strong suit.
Can I get a “Pfffft!”/
Joaquin, you fool. “Farsi” is “Persian”, they mean the same thing. Farsi is an Indo-European language that uses a modified Arabic script. Your f***-up is comparable to some fool thinking that Hungarian is English, then when corrected you gripe that it’s not “Hungarian” but “Magyar.”
Iranians don’t love Arabs or Arabic culture by and large. Just as Irish people use the Roman alphabet and mostly worship in the Roman Catholic Church, they may not love the citizens of modern Rome or Italian culture in every instance (or vice versa). The Irish are pretty damn conscious of being specifically Irish; Persians are much the same way. In fact, if you call a Persian an Arab, it’s much like calling a Scotsman a Sicilian or vice versa – the correction is usually pretty swift and usually more honest than polite.
Also, Nowruz is not an Islamic holiday, but is celebrated in much of that region by non-Persians and non-Muslims such as Bahais, Kurds, Afghanis and Aramaic-speaking Assyrian/Chaldean Christians of various religious affiliations. Many Iranian citizens are also not of Persian ethnicity or of the Islamic faith; there are many Assyrian Christians, Bahais, Armenians, “swamp Arabs”, Turkmen, Afghanis, Urdu-speaking Sunni Muslims with common ethnicity with some Pakistanis, etc.
joaquin: Sean – Everyone knows what it meant, but you.
First, nice to know that you feel comfortable speaking for everyone in a forum where you are generally derided.
Second, yeah, I knew what you meant. You said Javanfekr saying he appreciates Obama’s message but would like to see some actual deeds with the words is a “bitch slapping”. Which it wasn’t.
joaquin: Not just rebuffed, but rebuffed by Ahmadinejad’s press adviser.
Oh noes! Not the press adviser! Well, that really does raise the stakes, doesn’t it?
sheesh.
joaquin: Before I go, please find where someone outside of this brilliant crowd is putting a positive spin on the Iranian bitch-slapping we just got.
Please find where someone outside of your own addled brain and the right wing echo chamber is describing the response as anywhere near a “bitch-slapping”.
Oh noes! Not the press adviser! Well, that really does raise the stakes, doesn’t it?
sheesh.
Go to DefCon 1 and start the countdown!
Later. I mean it this time
Kthxbai!
Joaquin – I am less than surprised that an unfunny hack such as yourself completely failed to catch Sean’s Princess Bride reference.
Also, I said that Iran’s statement was fairly typical for a nation with whom we’ve been in a state of hostility for thirty-odd years. As pointed out above, the statement from Ahmadinejad’s mouthpiece didn’t do any slapping of any kind, which would have been more along the lines of “Never in a thousand years, filthy American pig-dog.”
You must be a real treat to hang out with in real life. Do you tell the first friend of yours that disagrees with you on something that you’re no longer their friend, or do you just make sure to surround yourself with people who never disagree with you about anything?
Do you tell the first friend of yours that disagrees with you on something that you’re no longer their friend, or do you just make sure to surround yourself with people who never disagree with you about anything?
Or are you actually George W. Bush?
Evan Bayh would make sure the DVD’s were in the right format at least, jr.
Unlike a certain Mr. Smart Diplomacy.
L2Mod. Region locking can be disabled (and should be, it’s stupid).
Obama needs to get on a plane and kiss a little ass.
That should do it, no?
Maybe a gift-basket of nukes? Tried that already. (It’s funny that all the major examples of high treason were done by conservatives)
It seems that joaquin is happy about the idea of America looking bad. Why do you hate America so much, you dirty terrorist-lover?
Of course there was no “bitch-slapping” after a different President made these remarks:
Joker, do you remember anything that happened before Obama was elected?
I don’t think that it really matters that his overture was rebuffed. This needed to be said. You do not do the right thing to achieve a specific goal, you do it because it is right.
If we start treating other countries with more respect, it will come back around. Today, next year, five years from now.
I believe we should be dangerous that no one wants to fight us. We got that down cold. But we also need to be cooperative enough that no one feels they need to fight us. That part needs a lot of work.
This is a good start.
Jon: believe we should be dangerous that no one wants to fight us. We got that down cold. But we also need to be cooperative enough that no one feels they need to fight us.
I don’t think we’ve got the no-one-wants-to-fight-us part down even luke-warm. But certainly the way to get there is by cooperative measures rather than threats.
Wow. Yet another thread where all irony is lost on a bed-wetting chickenhawk like Joking.
Dude, Obama wasn’t hoping the message would get the Iranian regime to step down. He was addressing the Iranian _people_ themselves, many of whom have some positive feelings for America despite the idiocy of the Bush II years.
As always, he’s about one hundred and fifty steps ahead of you. And once again, your stupid burns.