The Shah's regime indisputably was better than the current one. Lets ignore for a minute the export of terror. Lets ignore what they did during the Iran-Iraq war. The current regime executed more people in the first few months of coming to power than where killed in the whole of the Shah's reign. Even if you only care about Iranians, you should be condeming the current regime. 2) I don't know if you have been reading the news but the regime claimed it was all a conspiracy by the UK, US and Israel anyway. Since when did these regime need any factual basis for their claims? And you can bet money that a good segment believes it anyway - there is a reason people make these claims. 3) It is not a simple dichotomy between bombing and limp-wristed talk. They could have taken it to the UN - yes i know they are a waste of time - but at least the Iranians would have had to defend themselves non-stop like Israel has to. The US could have made financial sanctions, pushed other people to do the same. Put the same sort of pressure they have zero problems putting on Israel.

Obama will never be a Trojan horse for Israel!

President was extremely confused when he declared in his address to the ARAB and MUSLIM WORLD INGENERAL that the justification of the existence of the State of Israel . This shows a very stunning blatant lack of historical knowledge of Jewish culure, religion and history. It is a form of negationism of the legitimacy of the historical existence of a jewish state. This has nothing to do with antisemitism. This translates a narrow minded view of the world mixed with good feelings. Even Former President CARTER after visiting the very big settlement drew some lessons since he recognized the impossibility to remove them and suggested alternate pathways for compromises. What is sure is that any war requires compromises. Israel cannot make compromises about THE RAISON D'ÊTRE of the State of Israel clearly stated by David Ben Gurion in the Declaration of Independance. Reason dictates to find a compromise with the arab world and the Palestinians ASAP. REASON dictates alson that there should be clear cut parners for the negociations. This is not a reason for making the situation worse by stupid small acts , small settlements which lead the USA and the Fre World not to focus on the IRAN , PAKISTAN ......

A bit surprising coming from someone whose country has such a rich tradition of apathy & indifference toward events in the wider world. Hell, you should be cheering Obama for taking a Canadian approach to the matter, David.

...OK then, come and join us. We'll welcome you at Ben Giurion airport and whip you straight off to a swearing in ceremony at the Kotel and shove a bible in your tunic and a gun in your hand and you can come and protect our democracy by brutalising more Palestinians. See ya at the check points.

He'll be arriving to defend your family and state, while you'll be looking over your shoulder & running for the jet scheduled to depart Israel.

Obama ran on a whim and never expected to win so now that he did he's in over his head and does whatever Nancy Pelosi tells him to do.

The difference is Barak offered arafat 97% of what he wanted in the west bank with the other 3% to be made up elsewhere; not to mention all of Gaza & half of Jerusalem. It's called negotiating. Instead of continuing negotiations he stormed off to war after pledging not to. (along with all his people's loot)

You know that I am right on target regarding the delusional thinking and the well-known cowardice of the Left. That's why you are not answering me and you are trying to defame Israel.

Obviously, a lot of the nitwit bigots who spewed their venom about this article are beyond contempt. The facts are that by reacting the way he did, Obama sealed the fate of the brave protesters. Iran's dictators realized that Obama would not help the demonstrators and subsequent-ly crushed the dissent brutally and effectively. To the knucklehead who compared the repression in Iran to conditions in the West Bank, hav e you forgotten that the true repression is against Palestinians who want peace and to Hamas members who are killed by Fatah and vice versa. When Israel let the monster arafat control the West Bank he launched a terror war against Israel.

The greatest tragedy of all is that 78% of American Jewry supports and encourages Obama. Self deception is an ugly personality trait afflicting left wing liberal American Jews.

Mor Altshuler says he has no answer to the question of what values are guiding President Obama's policy toward Israel, Iran, and the Middle East, so blatantly against US interests. I have an answer. Mr. Obama is a cosmopolitan socialist who believes that the source of all evil in the world today is misguided, arrogant, self-centered action by the United States in the past. He apologizes for the US at every opportunity and acts to weaken the US at every opportunity, in order to bring about his desired new world order where no nation, certainly not America, has primacy and where an enlightened elite of cosmopolitan socialists rule all nations and decide every question. His policies in pursuit of such a cloud-cuckoo-land are mitigated only by the demands of Chicago-style politics by which he was elected and by which he hopes to retain power. In the face of this, hold fast, Israel. Not all Americans feel a tingle go down their leg when they think of Obama, and the number that do is dwindling rapidly. Hold fast, friends

Now now Frank, the difference is - and I do not apologise for saying this - but I have served in the IDF and in the occupied territories whilst you sit in Canada participating in the delusionll denial tactics of the arm chair fanatic. And by the way, before you reply insisting that I am left of centre, check who Ussishkin was, its not my pen name.

Iran has almost no refining capabilities and exports its oil to be refined and then returned. Simply telling oil refiners not to refine its oil would have Iran begging in a few days. Not just Obama but many European countries are morally bankrupt. http://tiny.cc/iranjackson Jane

wanted what his father started, oil money, Israel got nothing to do with the situation in Iraq. and even people in EUrop don't like NObama cause he manipulated the apointment of the head of NATO. so more and more people join in cause the fool doesn't know what he is doing all talk, nothing more, the change won't come he will make USA isolated by abandon forign activities, much like he activity in Iran- nothing, and he did contribute to over dosing instead of condamn the MJ, kinda wonder your short memory on the abortion subject, he support strongly while you as republican??? mmm makes me wonder if you know what you r saying. let's face it he is very far (light years) from Bill, I have a strong feeling that I will say I toooooold you sooo. just wait and see.

and i want to laugh i say ---- ya haram -----it is not aout iranian but about israil

This was an opportunity for OUR CONGRESSIONAL WOMEN, to stand in solidarity with the young Iranian women. I personnaly called "my two" in Washington...to no avail. The reason why Obama does not see things clearly is because our Government is littered with corruption, from everything from NRDC Mafia and Cap and Trade, to our financial system, to State control of industry to further their own corrupt guidance through graft and payoffs from Republicans and Democrats. Is it any wonder why Obama stands with Cuba and Venezula with the removal (not death) of the Honduran president? Why on earth do people think it strange that a country in decline to "centralized control" instead of the republic of individual and states rights, would miss opportunities of others in the world who want to be like we once were?

is now a misuguided view that the US can maintain a center position, between the capitalist and neo-imperial right and the non-interventionist left. So it (those of this progressive bent) basically looks for people like President Obama to "non-intervene", where it might affect their own "imperialist homefront".

come on bush!!!! bush was one who was elected by fraud against gore or did you not remember one side is what is happening in iran and another is that hypocrisy you are mentioning

I am more concerned about my country becoming Facists, and the US is no longer "light", to those who onced craved to be like us. The small democracies in this world are now running SCARED. They can't rely on the US to be the LIGHT anymore. How many of you folks know about Obama's "Publc Safety Policing" programs in foreign countries via control of their own police, to further polictical ends (progressive world union)? ITS BEEN GOING ON SINCE APRIL!

liberal ISRAEL (US / Israel alliance )by stating that his middle east policy will not be based upon or dictated by the Jewish state (remember this from May of this year?).....and is now telling you where you sheeples can build your own houses...and at the same time is siding with DICTATORS (one of whom I just heard is amassing troops on the Honduaran border), who removed a DICTATOR WANNABEE from their government.

let's face it-- those who voted for him ,me not included, are secretely regret it wholeheartedly.for the fringe left , he isnot liberal enough, and for the sane centerist conservatives, he is on a trip to lala land... obam will go down in history as the weakest, most inept president america has ever had. he'll be rmeebered as a collosul mistake in history.

Good article ! I mailed it around to the American people to open wide eyed. Especially the Jewish Democrats. Befoer it's too late for Israel and the U.S.A !!!

Have you ever been to Israel? The "occupied territories"? The answer is no. The protesters are far from non violent, and usually in areas marked as military zones, if the protesters were non violent they would be left alone, and if protesters entered military zones in almost any other country and attacked soldiers with rocks and molotav cocktails, they would be shot dead. It is an unarguable fact that Arabs in Israel live better than minorities in the US, the UK or France. Your whole post is based on nothing but blind prejiduce and pure ignorance. The problems here will never be solved until we all look at the truth. I am from the US by the way. I promise you that those in Baltimore, North Philly, Camden Nj, the 9th ward New Orleans and a hundred other places are living much more horrific lives than those in the "occupied territories", I was also a US Marine and promise you that if protesters entered a military restricted area and threw rocks at Marines, they would die quick deaths. Learn the facts before you run your big mouth, people like you who don't know what the hell they are talking about, but go around running your mouths are the main cause of the problems, ignorance spread by ignorant fools is what causes most the hatred and violence in this world.

if the "Palestinians", whose name for themselves is even a lie, wanted peace, there would be peace. As always the best Analogy is the one once made by BiBi (I believe someone correct me if I'm wrong), it went something like this, " take all the weapons from the Arabs in the ME and there would be peace, take all the weapons from the Jews andthere would be a slaughter", it is truley that simple, do you actually live here? I doubt it, I do, I'm originally from the US, I will tell you Israel is actually the most Liberal nation I have ever seen.

funny, when I rrived at Ben Gurion none of these things that you stated happened... "We'll welcome you at Ben Giurion airport and whip you straight off to a swearing in ceremony at the Kotel and shove a bible in your tunic and a gun in your hand" I was infact met by a kind old man who helped me to the office, where I did some paper work and took me to my free cab ride to my Kibbutz in the Negev, within a month of me being here though, hundreds of rockets were fired from Gaza all around me indiscriminatley , terrorizing children women everyone, stop pretending you are Israeli and posting propaganda on here you ass, your not fooling anyone, we don't even call it a bible jerk off. I now live in Tel Aviv and have never been happier, Israel is amazing, and home of the kindest and most intelligent people I have ever known, come visit some time, learn the truth.

America voted for change and got it. What we had before was Bush and a neocon government. We didn't want that. We don't want the neocon mentality in our foreign relations. We voted for Obama for a reason! The tension with Iran is not about Iran, it's about Palestine. The elections in Iran look a lot like the 2004 elections in America. We, being America, wanted change then too, we just didn't get it. The key with Iran is to engage the people, supporting ideas rather than individuals. This is Iran's 2004 election, and they just got another four years of Bush. The best idea for dealing with Iran is to help them find their Obama.