CNN Rick Sanchez offers plenty of warnings before showing a graphic photo of Iranian shot in the head, blood running in the street. “If it is proven that the person you are about to see was in fact shot by security forces, obviously it can send shockwaves around the world.”

I understand the Obama administration’s fear that if they’re seen as backing a particular side, they may delegitimize that side. But I don’t want a “muted” U.S. response that doesn’t take a side between an unarmed peaceful protester and an enforcer of the regime’s crackdown.

It’s quite odd — as a candidate, Barack Obama made clear he believed he knew how to handle a strong Ahmadinejad. But the administration is halting and tentative as it confronts a suddenly weakened Ahmadinejad.

God knows when the mullahs’ regime will be less stable than at this moment. Unless you’re terrified of destabilizing Ahmadinejad’s grip on power, it’s time to call ‘em as we see ‘em: to call for an independent audit of the vote, and to denounce violent suppression of Iranian protests.

If U.S. words of support for the Iranian people in their desire for an honest, independently verified vote count come out next week, they’ll be too late.