More Meddling

By Dave Anderson:

There is a significant chunk of the American political establishment and electorate that is ready to go ape-shit on the possibility of direct foreign donations and interference in US elections.  The chunk depends on who is in power and who will benefit from the cash flow as this fear fueled some of the Gingrich era black helicopter searches and was recently mentioned in Obama's State of the Union.  The US wants at least the pretense of sovereignty over its internal decision making processes and there is a large political opportunity for anyone who can portray their opponents as seeking or benefiting from foreign meddling.  

Shockingly, this basic realization of American politics seldom is translated into political or policy empathy. The Washington Post reports on recent comments by Sec. State Hillary Clinton regarding Iran:

Speaking to Arab students at Carnegie Mellon's Doha campus Monday, Clinton's comments about the Guard's increasing role in the country's economic and political life went further than previous administration statements.

Previously, officials said they planned to target new sanctions on the Guard, which is heavily involved in Tehran's nuclear and missile programs, because such tactics would harm the country's political elite, sparring, at least in theory, many ordinary Iranians. Clinton suggested proposed sanctions are also designed to thwart the growing role of the Guard in Iran's internal political dynamics....

Among the signs of a military dictatorship that she saw, she said the current government "is a far cry from the Islamic Republic, which had elections and different points of view within the leadership circle. "

Two things. First it is now a US public diplomacy tract to wish for the 1978/79 Revolutionaries instead of the current leadership cadre that has a demonstrated history of rationality and self-preservation seeking instincts. Secondly, admitting that political level sanctions are aimed at weakening a relevant and major political faction in Iranian politics is massive and obvious foreign meddling. Foreign meddling in local politics is usually a good way of creating blowback and a rally around the flag effect.