Wishful Thinking by Kristol?

William Kristol of The Weekly Standard:

Kristol: Memo to Conservatives

There have been very good grounds to criticize President Obama's foreign policy so far. There will be much more to criticize over the next three and a half years.

But he is our president. We could be at an historical inflection point in Iran. The United States may be able to play an important role. The task now is to explain what the Obama administration (and Congress) should be saying and doing, and to urge them to do what they should be doing.

Presuming ahead of time that Obama will fail to exercise leadership, and cataloguing this episode pre-emptively as another in a list of Obama failures, would be a mistake.

The U.S. has a huge stake in the possible transformation, or at least reformation, of the Iranian regime. If there's some chance of that happening, and some chance of U.S. policy contributing to that outcome, we should hope Obama does the right thing, and urge and pressure him to do so--because then the United States will be doing the right thing, and the United States, and the world, will benefit.

This too is the role of a loyal opposition.

I report, you opine....comment section is open for discussion!

UPATE: From Pastorius

BUSH'S MESSAGE TO THE IRANIAN PEOPLE

VS.

OBAMA'S MESSAGE TO THE IRANIAN PEOPLE

From Gateway Pundit:

George W. Bush sent this message to the Iranian people this year:

Here is G. W. Bush's message to the Iranian people in 2008:

"We have great respect for the people, and we've got problems with the government. We have problems with the government because the government has been threatening, has made decisions that --and statements that -- really have isolated the people of Iran.

"My message to the young in Iran is that someday your society will be free. And it will be a blessed time for you. My message to the women of Iran is that the women of America share your deep desire for children to grow up in a hopeful society and to live in peace."

Hat Tip Kevin Gregory

And, Obama's response to the stolen elections and violence in Iran?

"This is a debate among Iranians about Iran's future."