Obama Condemns Crackdown on Iranian Protestors

I have nothing to add to the President's statement except my own respect and awe for the men and women who are still on the streets of Iran demanding democracy despite the blood on the streets. We're not worthy. No joke.

Please don't forget to join us tonight to hear legendary blogger and Middle East expert Juan Cole give his thoughts on the crisis, and more.

' First, I'd like to say a few words about the situation in Iran. The
United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by
the threats, the beatings and imprisonments of the last few days. I strongly
condemn these unjust actions, and I join with the American people in mourning
each and every innocent life that is lost. I've made it clear that the United
States respects the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran and is not
interfering with Iran's affairs. But we must also bear witness to the courage
and the dignity of the Iranian people and to a remarkable opening within Iranian
society. And we deplore the violence against innocent civilians anywhere that it
takes place. The Iranian people are trying to have a debate about their future.
Some in Iran -- some in the Iranian government, in particular, are trying to
avoid that debate by accusing the United States and others in the West of
instigating protests over the elections. These accusations are patently false.
They're an obvious attempt to distract people from what is truly taking place
within Iran's borders. This tired strategy of using old tensions to scapegoat
other countries won't work anymore in Iran. This is not about the United States
or the West; this is about the people of Iran and the future that they -- and
only they -- will choose. The Iranian people can speak for themselves. That's
precisely what's happened in the last few days. In 2009, no iron fist is strong
enough to shut off the world from bearing witness to peaceful protests of
justice. Despite the Iranian government's efforts to expel journalists and
isolate itself, powerful images and poignant words have made their way to us
through cell phones and computers. And so we've watched what the Iranian people
are doing. This is what we've witnessed. We've seen the timeless dignity of tens
of thousands of Iranians marching in silence. We've seen people of all ages risk
everything to insist that their votes are counted and that their voices are
heard. Above all, we've seen courageous women stand up to the brutality and
threats, and we've experienced the searing image of a woman bleeding to death on
the streets.While this loss is raw and extraordinarily painful, we also know
this: those who stand up for justice are always on the right side of history. As
I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The
Iranian people have a universal right to assembly and free speech. If the
Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must
respect those rights and heed the will of its own people. It must govern through
consent and not coercion. That's what Iran's own people are calling for, and the
Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government."