Obama’s silence — and his lack of moral clarity — are quickly making his reaction akin to George H. W. Bush’s infamous “Chicken Kiev” speech, when the elder Bush effectively sided with Moscow against the freedom of the Ukraine. Indeed, had Obama not broken with formula and recognized the ayatollahs as the legitimate representatives of the Iranian people during his Nowruz greeting, he might not have found his reaction so constrained. Regardless, Obama’s silence is a failure of leadership and a betrayal of freedom on a Carter-esque scale.