The following editorial by Gov. David Walters appeared in the July 4 edition of The Daily Oklahoman.
I find the Republican criticism of President Obama's commentary regarding Iran to be skipping over a critical point.
Iran finds itself in the middle of an internal revolution, just five months after President Obama assumed office, several weeks after signaling a new approach to dealing with Iran and about 20 days after his Cairo speech.
Anyone who listened to or read the speech cannot possibly come to the conclusion that President Obama is timid.
If you have any semblance of an open mind, read the Cairo speech. This single statement of reason and honest review of the centuries-old conflicts in South Asia and the Middle East has given rise in the region to new hope for an end to these mindless conflicts. It’s spawned optimism that lives in these desperately poor countries can begin to focus on improvement rather than destruction.
This eloquent change of tone – vastly different to the counterproductive tough guy talk of the past eight years – is sparking a revolution of freethinking citizens who are sick and tired of being represented by the likes of the Iranian leaders.
As one Iranian businessman told me recently, when it became apparent that the U.S. was not an immediate threat, the citizens in Iran had the luxury of turning inwards to address their countries problems and poor leadership.
I thank God everyday that the US has a bold and courageous and smart leader.
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