• Home
  • Blogs
  • Political Hotsheet
Political Hotsheet
June 19, 2009 3:18 PM

CBS News Exclusive: Obama "Very Concerned" At Ayatollah's Comments

Posted by Brian Montopoli
In an interview with CBS News' Harry Smith, President Obama said he is "very concerned" with the thrust of the statements made today by Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei supporting the country's disputed election results.

“And I'm very concerned based on some of the tenor -- and tone of the statements that have been made -- that the government of Iran recognize that the world is watching," the president told Smith. "And how they approach and deal with people who are, through peaceful means, trying to be heard will, I think, send a pretty clear signal to the international community about what Iran is and -- and is not.”

More excerpts from the interview will be broadcast on tonight's CBS "Evening News." CBS' "Sunday Morning" will air the portion of the interview related to Father's Day this Sunday, and more of the interview, focusing on domestic issues and foreign policy, will air on CBS' "The Early Show" Monday.


Watch CBS Videos Online
Tags:
Barack Obama ,
CBS ,
Interview ,
Iran ,
Harry Smith
Topics:
Iran
Share:
  • Share
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Mixx

More from Political Hotsheet and Politics on CBSNews.com

Add a Comment See all 95 Comments
by TheMasses0009 July 14, 2009 10:33 AM EDT
Obama "Very Concerned" At Ayatollah's Comments
---------------------------------
This means Maobama will teleprompt Iran into oblivion.
Reply to this comment
by hughglass June 19, 2009 8:47 PM EDT
The guy is a tiger. After crushing the Norks with his "grave concern" over their nuclear testing and then terrifying them with his "deep concern" over the sentencing of the American journalists he has now gone "all in" and sent the Iranian power structure into a state of abject horror with his courageous indication that he is "very concerned" about them murdering their own citizems. One of these days he will really get serious and smack someone with his purse. The Iranians have responded with something about "sticks and stones" ..you know the rest.
Reply to this comment
by -Lawyers-Guns-n-Money- June 19, 2009 9:04 PM EDT
What we COULD do is add them back to this list of state sponsors of terror. Then we'll wait a year and a half since their last nuclear test and take them off the list again. A year and a half is a good probationary period, right?

As for murdering their own citizens, where was your outrage when Mugabe was running amok? Iran is amateur hour compared to this guy.
by wdh3007 June 19, 2009 7:53 PM EDT
I did not say use arms first"If" there was a protest it would cause some type of response like it did in the 60's the danger is we in America have more people who happen to have arms than those in Iran and that can be a danger. Please read into it carefully.
Reply to this comment
by wdh3007 June 19, 2009 7:37 PM EDT
Yes I agree if this protest in Iran happened here in America it would be on a much larger scale causing more of a statement and outcry with more people in our country to protest. The only other difference would be we have the right to bear arms as citizens and most do. We also have many returning veterans of foreign wars who have been trained to kill not to include all the militas, gangs and unfortunately hate groups.
Reply to this comment
by lovegetpeace June 19, 2009 7:41 PM EDT
If your 1st option is to use Arms, why do you wish to protest or demonstrate like in the 1960's?
by nanc12 June 19, 2009 7:34 PM EDT
by IThoughtItWasFunnyAsIs June 19, 2009 2:23 PM PDT
Nanc12, go back to your Saturday Nite Live Skits...

YOU ARE A LIAR! We have NEVER not had diplomatic relations with Iran.

Rowdy, are you on drugs? Here's a little quote from the other day:
"It said the government summoned the Swiss ambassador, who represents U.S. interests in Iran, to complain about American interference. The two countries severed diplomatic relations after the 1979 Islamic Revolution."

You see, dear, the Swiss represent us in Iran, BECAUSE WE SEVERED DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS with them in 1979. Maybe you should stop obsessing about SNL and actually get a fact right once in a while!
Reply to this comment
by 8razman June 19, 2009 7:17 PM EDT
Our president wants to be "friends" with everyone -- sorry it doesn't work that way. This makes him look weak in the eyes of third world leaders and others. Because of this they are pushing him to find his limits. Gotta make a stand at some point.

Oh, lovegetpeace; everyone, and I mean everyone, is a hypocrite at one level or another.
Reply to this comment
by lovegetpeace June 19, 2009 7:29 PM EDT
If we are to come together in Peace like in marriage, something must give and you must be fully prepared for that 'give'. Americans have a great relationship with Saudi Arabia because Americans look the other way when it comes to Human Right abuses. Just imagine if Obama starts to criticize the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the almost no freedom and democracy in Saudi Arabia.

If you feel weakness, its because you have never been in a reconciliation with your spouse and that is a big weakness onto itself.
by lovegetpeace June 19, 2009 7:37 PM EDT
If the USA President is to make a stand at every point, then Americans would be at War with every nation in the world and this empire would not exist (and taking Israel with it).

Look at your Idol Republican Ex-President Bush, nobody in the world would listen to him just because of his Cowboy (Macho) stand you are advocating.

Sounds like you have been thru several ugly divorces already and you still do not understand why. And I understand it because Americans have the highest divorce rate in the world.
by -Lawyers-Guns-n-Money- June 19, 2009 7:15 PM EDT
by debinok1 June 19, 2009 4:06 PM PDT
The scariest part is that people do not realize that if these same "protests" were going on here we would have the same "crackdown" by the government, military and local police. They would not stand by and let us destroy buildings and set buses and police vehicles on fire. There would be arrests and detentions and people would die. And if they thought they could slow such a movement by shutting down websites and the internet or disabling cell phone service, they would do exactly that. We may claim freedom and democracy but we too are under the governments thumb. And for those who are going to say we choose our Presidents and elected officials, think about it, when was the last time you saw an average middle class person running for a major office. It takes money, so only the rich get to play.
----------------------------------------------------------------

So do you imagine if we were TOLD that McCain won back in November by a margin of 62% to 36% there wouldn't be rioting in the streets?

I mean, come on; we riot because the Lakers win the NBA championship.
Reply to this comment
by -Lawyers-Guns-n-Money- June 19, 2009 7:09 PM EDT
by summarex June 19, 2009 4:05 PM PDT
What is this guardian of the revolution in the whitehouse, trying to do? Let Iran's messes stay in Iran. Stop the foreclosures, create real jobs, repair education, healthcare and the infrastucture. Fix America! That's what he's supposed to be doing, not playing cat and mouse games with Iran and North Korea.
-------------------------------------------------------

Ignore the guy behind the curtain! Nothin' ta see here!

You see where eight years of THAT attitude got us.
Reply to this comment
by debinok1 June 19, 2009 7:06 PM EDT
The scariest part is that people do not realize that if these same "protests" were going on here we would have the same "crackdown" by the government, military and local police. They would not stand by and let us destroy buildings and set buses and police vehicles on fire. There would be arrests and detentions and people would die. And if they thought they could slow such a movement by shutting down websites and the internet or disabling cell phone service, they would do exactly that. We may claim freedom and democracy but we too are under the governments thumb. And for those who are going to say we choose our Presidents and elected officials, think about it, when was the last time you saw an average middle class person running for a major office. It takes money, so only the rich get to play.
Reply to this comment
by hamiltongrad June 19, 2009 7:06 PM EDT
I suggest that all Muslim countries of the world give equal rights to Gaays and all women, also to Jews and Christians, for starters, Then you may be on the road to having a real civilization.
Reply to this comment
by summarex June 19, 2009 7:05 PM EDT
What is this guardian of the revolution in the whitehouse, trying to do? Let Iran's messes stay in Iran. Stop the foreclosures, create real jobs, repair education, healthcare and the infrastucture. Fix America! That's what he's supposed to be doing, not playing cat and mouse games with Iran and North Korea.
Reply to this comment
by lovegetpeace June 19, 2009 7:02 PM EDT
The Republicans wants is all to believe in God with a blind-eye. Well, Iran is a perfect example of what happens if we all just follow that Ideology.
Reply to this comment
by -Lawyers-Guns-n-Money- June 19, 2009 7:01 PM EDT
by hamiltongrad June 19, 2009 3:45 PM PDT
fighting and weapons NEVER solved or won ANY battle. No war has been won because of men fighting and giving up their lives. As a college Professor, I teach a class on Social Responsibility and the World, and can bering some clarity to this discussion. We need to have dialogue. We need to sit down and listen. Guns, and tarnished ideas of previous armies/combat/soldier mentality NEVER solved any clash of ideas.

We need to disarm all our weapons, and send our boys in uniform home. By example, we can lead the world into peace, not by war.

If we just learn to listen, and dialogue.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Yeah, well this isn't ABOUT fighting and weapons. This is about respect. Unfortunatley, you got the little spitwads of the world engorging themselves on the biggest, baddest weapons they can find to make their johnsons look bigger.

My weiner's bigger than yours so I demand respect. And since I have a big weiner, I'm gonna tempt you to make me see if it works. What's the use of having toys if you can't play with them? You don't use it, you lose it.

Now EVERYBODY wants penile implants.
Reply to this comment
by hamiltongrad June 19, 2009 6:51 PM EDT
How come Iran gets to build a NUCLEAR power plant, and all we get are stupid wind mills ?
Reply to this comment
by lovegetpeace June 19, 2009 7:05 PM EDT
Iran gets to built a nuclear plant because the State of Israel already got 66 plus Missiles with Nuclear Warheads.
by hamiltongrad June 19, 2009 6:50 PM EDT
We need to listen and dialogue. Our ships and weapons just are bad examples for other countries.
Reply to this comment
by hamiltongrad June 19, 2009 6:47 PM EDT
no way
Reply to this comment
by debinok1 June 19, 2009 6:46 PM EDT
The scariest part is that people do not realize that if these same "protests" were going on here we would have the same "crackdown" by the government, military and local police. They would not stand by and let us destroy buildings and set buses and police vehicles on fire. There would be arrests and detentions and people would die. And if they thought they could slow such a movement by shutting down websites and the internet or disabling cell phone service, they would do exactly that. We may claim freedom and democracy but we too are under the governments thumb. And for those who are going to say we choose our Presidents and elected officials, think about it, when was the last time you saw an average middle class person running for a major office. It takes money, so only the rich get to play.
Reply to this comment
by IrishWench01 June 19, 2009 7:12 PM EDT
Haa!! I knew when you replied to my comment on another article and said that for once we agree, that we have agreed on more than one thing over time. Cause we are, agreeing again :-D
by JayArGee3 June 19, 2009 6:46 PM EDT
You poor backward SoBs. If you would pull your head out of...er, the sand, you would see that the Prez' speech a couple of weeks ago has driven a wedge between the jhadists and the peace loving peoples of the Muslim world. Big O has single-handedly launched his own jihad for peace vs. the extremists. Like-minded peace-loving people of Islam are now making their choice between the backward tenets of the fanatic few and friendship with the rest of civilization. Whether you are a Dim or a Repug, this is one revolution we can ALL get behind.
Reply to this comment
by hamiltongrad June 19, 2009 6:45 PM EDT
fighting and weapons NEVER solved or won ANY battle. No war has been won because of men fighting and giving up their lives. As a college Professor, I teach a class on Social Responsibility and the World, and can bering some clarity to this discussion. We need to have dialogue. We need to sit down and listen. Guns, and tarnished ideas of previous armies/combat/soldier mentality NEVER solved any clash of ideas.

We need to disarm all our weapons, and send our boys in uniform home. By example, we can lead the world into peace, not by war.

If we just learn to listen, and dialogue.
Reply to this comment
by lovegetpeace June 19, 2009 6:57 PM EDT
Wondering if in this Social Responsibility class, they teach you the fact that the Planet Earth cannot go around the Sun without Evil and Good? Electrons and Protons in an Atom hate each others and they cannot stand each others but they are mandatory for life to be.
by JayArGee3 June 19, 2009 6:40 PM EDT
You poor backward SOBs. If you would pull your head out of...er, the sand, you would see that the Prez' speech a couple of weeks ago has driven a wedge between the jhadis and the peace loving peoples of the Muslim world. Big O has single-handedly launched his own jihad for peace vs. the extremists. Like-minded peace-loving people of Islam are now making their choice between the backward tenets of the fanatic few and friendship with the rest of civilization.
Reply to this comment
See all 95 Comments

About Political Hotsheet

Stay up to the minute on the latest news and developments from Washington, from the White House to Congress and everything in-between with the best political reporters from CBS News and CBSNews.com.

E-Mail Political Hotsheet
Follow On Twitter

Add to your favorite news reader
google
yahoo
msn
  • MOST POPULAR
HOTSHEET ON TWITTER