As published on Politico.com on June 24, 2009:

President Obama owes a great deal of his political appeal and his position to his masterful use of words. That makes it all the more puzzling that he for too long failed to recognize their crucial importance to the courageous people struggling to make their own voices heard in Iran.

Finally, on Tuesday, President Obama pronounced the United States “appalled and outraged” by Iran’s violent efforts to crush peaceful protests. What took so long?

The President’s initial instinct of caution was appropriate, to a point. It was important for the world – and for Iran’s leaders – to see that events in Iran were being driven by the righteous outrage of the Iran’s people, and not fomented by outside forces.

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