Viva La Revolution!

I'm not a good judge of what makes a revolution.
When the communist countries started falling in the late 80's (?) I thought it was just a mirage.
When Tiananmen Square happened in the early 90's (?) I thought it was going to overhaul the Chinese government.

So, it is with cautious hope and optimism that I watch the events in Iran unfold. I would like to see an Iran the US can work with, that isn't so restrictive to women, and an Iran that doesn't support (financially and otherwise) fear-inducing groups.

This could be the people's moment. Even if it doesn't turn out to be, they've shown great courage and strength. Their efforts won't be in vain. They've planted a seed at the very least.
But, it is the Iranian People's moment. Not ours to influence.
Some people in America (Bill Kristol, Pence in the House et al) are trying to shame President Obama into officially siding with the supporters of opposition candidate Moussavi. I really can't see how they could have a more knee-jerk reaction than that. I think 'jerk' is the operative word in that sentence.
Revolution comes from within - both personally, and as a nation. Leave them be. They know we support democracy. They know we're watching.

Strangely, the fact that the Iranian government knows we're watching makes it odd to see the government acting with such a heavy hand. They made themselves look guilty of rigging the election by responding with violence and cracking down on the opposition and media reports. That wasn't very smart. Even I would have known that much.

Its interesting to see many of the rally signs, for both Moussavi and Ahmadinejad are written in English.

A key point I've been hearing a lot about is that Moussavi has views that aren't entirely different from Ahmadinejad's views. And since the Supreme Leader is the one who wields the most power, the 'revolution' of Moussavi won't be much of one.

However, there has been news today that the Council of Experts (who select the Supreme Leader) are meeting today and THAT could be the real revolution. And, it would mean there could be real change in Iran.

Given that Moussavi wasn't all that different from Ahmadinejad, it seems the people are really protesting how the government handled the election and Moussavi is an accidental beneficiary. I wonder what made the reformers side with Moussvi? Is it becuase he's the least worse candidate? Or is he worthy of being a reformer?

I think the bottom line is that the protestors are fed up with a government that lies and isolates the country and tries to manipulate and threaten their own citizens.
Moussavi as the President must be incidental.

For more information about the Iranian election aftermath, go to...
Huffington Post - Liveblogging the Uprising