It is quite amazing to see the various, sometimes conservative, explanations that most liberal (including some rather extreme leftist) pundits have suddenly advanced to support the president’s mostly do-nothing, say-nothing policy on Iraq: Mousavi is no different really from Ahmadinejad; our distaste would only empower the government; the resistance does not want or need the American albatross; we should have learned our lesson from 1953, or from Iraq, or from (fill in the blanks); it is such a relief to have a calm president rather than a President Bush shouting about freedom in the hearts of everyone; we can’t do anything anyway; “Bush did it” and tarnished the American brand anyway . . .

Two reactions: (1) I doubt such supportive arguments would be now advanced should a President McCain have urged similar realpolitik; (2) Should Obama have come out a few days ago with ringing endorsements for those who wish free and fair elections, and had he given a Reaganesque embrace of the dissidents’ bravery and idealism, I doubt we would be reading any of what we read today.

In other words, we are in an age of ipse dixit. And that is all ye need to know.