Cool it, Senator McCain

A message for John McCain: Please just cool it, Senator.

As countless young Iranians have filled the streets of Tehran in the struggle for reform, McCain has called on President Obama to "speak out that this is a corrupt, fraud, sham of an election."

But Obama says he does not want to meddle. And good thing. Every Iranian knows about the history of US meddling in their country (to use a very mild term for what our country has done.) The last thing that the reformers need is to be seen as connected to the US.

* In 1954, the CIA (along with the Brits) funded and gave hands-on support to the coup that took out Mohammad Mosaddeq. Iran's democratically elected president. (Mosaddeq had committed the mortal sin of nationalizing the oil industry. Way before the Cheney neo-cons came into power, Cheney-types were already asking, "What are they trying to do with OUR oil.")

* The US then installed the Shah, and soon the CIA trained his secret police.

* After the Shah was overthrown, the US heartily supported Iraq's Saddam Hussein, who then attacked Iran, starting a horrendous war that lasted from 1980 till 1988 and destroyed half a million lives. US aid to Iraq included weapons, military intelligence, training, billions of dollars and even direct war involvement

Obama is right again.