SO, MR. PRESIDENT

Toni Capuozzo dice che John McCain, al senato americano, ha detto su Neda, la ragazza di Teheran, le cose che avrebbe voluto sentir dire da Obama.

Non posso non condividere questa considerazione, non solo per quello che il senatore dell'Arizona ha detto, ma anche per come lo ha detto. Da notare la valorizzazione politica dei social network: Facebook, Twitter, Youtube... Decisamente il discorso "umanitario" che ci saremmo aspettati dalla star della facebook-politica, da Mr. "Change We Can Believe In". McCain sarebbe stato un grande presidente, altro che troppo anziano. Tra i due, oggi, il vecchio grigio conservatore è Obama. E' un fatto, e non a caso viene rimarcato anche da sinistra.

Qui sopra il video dell'intervento di McCain; qui sotto il testo integrale.

-----------------------------------------------------------

"There is a news report from the Associated Press entitled "iranian police use force to break up protests":

Tehran, Iran. Riot police attack hundreds of demonstrators with tear gas and fired live bullets in the air to disperse a rally in central tehran monday, carrying out a threat by the country's most powerful security force to crush any further opposition protests over the disputed presidential election. Witnesses said helicopters hovered over head as about 200 protesters gathered at a square, but hundreds of antiriot police quickly put an end to the demonstration and prevented any gathering, even small groups, at the scene. Iran said at least 17 protesters have been killed in a week of unrest after the electoral press said that Ahmadinejad was the winner are of the elections. Severe restrictions on reporters have made it almost impossible to report on any demonstrations, clashes an casualties. Iran has ordered reporters from foreign news agencies to stay in their offices, barring them from any reporting on the streets.

So the story goes on. Demonstrations followed by repression, followed by murder in the streets and as these things seem to evolve, an event took place which may be the defining moment just yesterday in the struggle of the iranian people to be able to peacefully disagree with their government in this case because of a corrupt and fraudulent election without being killed in the streets and beaten and imprisoned.

And it has to do with a woman named Neda, and I quote from an NBC News story dated june 2009. And i quote --

"she sinks to the ground and a few minutes later she's dead. a video that has been repeatedly posted on the internet reports to show the last moments of Neda, a young iranian woman shot in the heart by government sharp shooters. Overnight she has become a symbol of the opposition. The shaky blurred images of a young woman collapses on to the pavement. Dark pool of blood spreads beneath her body. Two men kneel against the -- next to the woman and press on her chest emscreaming. The camera filming him zooms in on her face, her face turns to the side and blood streams out of her nose an mouth. Neda, don't be afraid says one man. Another man seeks to put her in the car and the video stops. The video appeared on the network sites Facebook and Twitter saturday evening, and it became a viral sensation being forwarded repeatedly. User groups were determined to get around Youtube's ability to get around the graphic film. It became forwarded so often, that it became imresponsible for Youtube to remove it".

So -- so, Mr. President, we've seen, as we have in cases of brutal repression throughout history, the living example or the dying example of martyrdom. And by sunday morning Neda became the fifth most commented topic on Twitter. She had already become a kind of Joan of Arc. "It took only one bullet to kill Neda, it will take only one Neda to stop iranian tyranny" was one posting. "Neda died with opened eyes. Shame on us who lived with closed eyes". "They killed Neda, but not her voice" was another. During the day, people replaced their profile pictures with tributes to the young woman such as, "i am Neda," or "Neda forever." Another posted images of a broken heart in green, the color of the opposition movement.

So, Mr. President, a debate has been going on as to how much the United States of America, its President, the Congress, and the american people should speak out in favor and in support of these brave iranians - average age in Tehran is 33 years of age - and their quest for the fundamentals of freedom and democracy that we have enjoyed for more than a couple of centuries.

So, Mr. President, today I, and all America, pays tribute to a brave young woman who was trying to exercise her fundamental human rights, and was killed on the streets of Tehran. All americans are with her. Our thoughts and our prayers for her, her family, and her countrymen".

---------------------------------------------------------

PS - PRESIDENTIAL UPDATE: pare che questo pomeriggio nella conferenza stampa alla Casa Bianca Obama si sia finalmente deciso a concedere qualche parola un po' meno insipida sulla questione, condendola, guarda caso, con una allusione ai nuovi media grazie ai quali falliscono i tentativi di censura del regime di Teheran. E pare anche anche che, alla immancabile domanda di un cronista se l'intervento di McCain avesse contribuito nello spingerlo a sforzarsi un po' di più, abbia risposto con un sorriso beffardo ed abbia avuto il buon gusto di sottolineare: "solo io sono il Presidente". Sticazzi, Mr. President...

PPS - DAY-AFTER UPDATE: l'inviato dell'Economist nel suo blog recensisce la conferenza stampa presidenziale di ieri come "probabilmente la più pepata vista sin qui", ma non in un'accezione elogiativa. Anzi. Parla di un Obama propenso a sottrarsi alle domande scomode, liquidandole con battute polemiche, al punto da rischiare di alienarsi l'entusiastico favore della stampa di cui ha sin qui goduto. Stesse impressioni dal collega della CBS e da quello del Washington Post. E quello dell'Atlantic è rimasto così contento che al rientro dalla conferenza stampa ha pensato bene di scrivere sul suo blog un post sul calo della popolarità di Obama negli ultimi sondaggi.