1. During this moment of protests in Iran following the Soleimani assassination, we might have conflicting emotions and reactions to these events. But we shouldn't get confused. We can revile Soleimani and the Iranian regime, oppose Trump, and support the great people of Iran.
2. As Americans, we have overriding responsibility for our government and the actions taken in our name. Personally, I'm glad Soleimani is dead. He had so much blood, including that of Americans, on his hands, he had more than earned it.
3. But I'm as troubled by anyone else by the recklessness of Trump's decision, based on limited intel which he's tried to inflate ex post facto, &no serious consideration of the major ramifications of such a strategic decision. Amateurish,dangerous national security policymaking.
4. So far, we've gotten fairly lucky that a major escalation, more US casualties, & other worst possible outcomes have not occurred. But the story's not over yet, either in Iraq with a shaky US presence, or in Iran's ability to strike back in other ways. Hold the end zone dances.
5. But our concerns about these aspects of Trump's decisionmaking should not blind us to the extraordinary moment now underway in Iran. After huge turnouts for Soleimai's funeral, the regime's initial lying about the shootdown of the Ukranian airliner seems to have re-lit a fuse.
6. In this regard, we should only have one side: the Iranian people's right to peacefully protest. The regime is awful: brutal at home, squandering resources to sponsor terrorism abroad, aggressive against its neighbors, generally spreading mayhem. Soleimani personified all this.
7. Trump's tweets about the protests have been basically sound on their merits. Their weakness is that they come from him: a pervasive liar, a man of zero morals, a sell-out to autocrats he favors, a narcissist focused only on who praises him and how much.
8. But his impulsive, sloppy conduct of his job and poor character should not lead us to miss this moment: Iranian citizens are displaying unthinkable courage in the face of brutality, calling out their government for its lies, corruption, self-destructive zeal, and oppression.
9. I don't want to see Trump get credit for anything. Nothing can compensate us for his steady assault on our public ethics, our democratic institutions, our international standing. He profoundly damages the United States every day he is in office.
10. On Iran, he irresponsibly abandoned, rather than trying to strengthen, an imperfect but functional nuclear deal; imposed maximum pressure attached to no clear or achievable strategic goals; alienated key global partners; and ginned up, then spooked, regional allies.
11. His commitment to the Iranian people is cynical & partial at best. Since January 2017, he imposed a travel ban on all Iranians coming to the US and has stubbornly resisted calls, even from his own supporters, to lift it. What a signal doing so would send now, yet he doesn't.
12. But we should let none of that keep us from seeing our obligation and interest in supporting Iran's people in their struggle.
13. We must not forget that it is their struggle, not ours. There is a danger of intruding too much. And the regime still has supporters. I wish I could say it was about to fall, but there is no way to know.
14. But the cry of Iranians for freedom resonates with us. The courage of standing up to a regime that's killed 100s of protesters inspires us. Iranians refusing to be cowed by the regime's propaganda & dictates should know they have our support. Let's stand firmly with them. End
