it puts our question this morning, the response to the demonstration in iran after the election last week in iran. was it too timid? those comments come from sunderland's a gram. he -- those comments coming from senator lindsay graham. we will show you his reaction. >> certainly moving in the right direction, but our point is there is a monumental event going on in iran and the president of the united states is supposed to lead the free world, not follow it. other nations have been more outspoken. i hope we will hear more of this because young men and women taken to the streets in tehran need our support, the signs are in english, they are basically asking for us to speak up on their behalf and i appreciate what the president said yesterday, but he has been timid and pass of more than i would like and i hope the will continue to speak truth to power. >> you know the white house said in response, they say they don't want to become the players in

this fight an act to limit the protesters seem like they are tools of the united states. henry kissinger agrees. >> well, these people and not told anyone. they are the ones getting killed. no one in america is getting killed anywhere. anytime american stands up for freedom we are better off -- and when we try to prop up dictators or remain silent, it comes back to bite us. ronald reagan spoke in front of berlin wall and said teardown -- when he was silent on the 1986 election in the philippines and said there was fraud on both sides, that hurt the cause but i would hope the president will speak truth to power. this regime is correct. it has blood on its hands. they killed americans in iraq and innocent iraqi people another on people. stand up with the protesters did that is not meddling, it is doing the right thing. host: annapolis, good morning to maggie on the democrats' line. is the president's response to timid? caller: i don't think at all.

i agree that he is doing exactly the right thing and the twitterers online who say that they don't want us to invade. that would be the worst thing possible. sanctions, that would be the worst thing possible. they need to own this revolution. it needs to be theirs, genuine. what they do need, however, is help from the u.n. of any emergency supplies, medication, -- they need the emergency supplies, medication, gas masks. they say, where is the u.n.? is a closed and the weekend? that would be an appropriate. for us to do something militarily -- we have so much bad experience with iran, they don't want us to do that. host: where are you following the information? caller: #iranelection, all one

word, and also #tehran and that also follow it on youtube. i tried to fall on news programs but it is disappointing no one has been carrying it -- people just doing their regular programs and this is a humanitarian crisis. yes, we need to do something, we don't want -- like dr. brzezinski said, the neocons first response -- people who think that any war is a good war -- senator graham obviously is a neocon and he said we do not want our neocons conflicting with theirs. this is a man that won the nobel peace -- peace prize. i think he knows what he is talking about and i agree with him completely and with the people, that they do need our help, they need help from the u.n.

i have not seen anyone picketing the president. i have not seen anyone asking the president to help. they want help from us, as in support, for example, people can reset the times on their computers or on twitter to tehran time, that helps. host: how does that help? caller: being able to find people. i did not have as much computer expertise. i'm a recent twitter user. i have a little troublesome * -- sometimes. i used to be a computer geek, the ninth 52 years old. not that i'm against new technology but i am a little slow on the uptake on this one. host: @ thank you for updating all of us. anna from washington, d.c. come on independent line. caller: i think the cia is doing

what it knows how to do best -- this is what we should do. this is the cia at its best. if you think america is not helping them with technology and twitter and everything, you underestimate the cia. lindsay graham and john mccain, i am so relieved that john mccain did not win. if he had run -- there would be a third world war. there are ways that you can impact countries without overtly doing it, and that is what we should be doing and i think the present -- i don't agree with him on a lot of things. mccain really scares me. what would they have us do? send troops there to lose their lives? if people want freedom badly enough, they should be ready to pay the price with their lives.

host: james on the line. good morning, as we look at video from youtube from over the weekend. caller: good morning. absolutely a timid response from obama and it is typical of democrats' approach things, they stay on the sidelines and let things happen in front of them. your previous caller had mentioned that no news program is covering this -- of course they are not going to cover it because it is bad for obama. one thing also on that you can help -- u.n. help, without us there is no u.n.. it is not much to ask the digesting we support people fighting for their freedom. it is a magic -- corrupt administration over there and this is what you get when you try to sit back and let things become a democratic process on everything. there is nothing wrong standing up for freedom and the values of that. and the republicans who are saying that -- granted, i do not

think the republicans are really taking the leadership role right now, but what senator graham said was true, just come out and be forceful. the people were jumping up and down when bush called this administration for what it was. host: "the los angeles times" has a front-page story, the rift deepens between top clerics. the hard-line and moderate trade harsh remarks and relatives of one key figure are arrested. the power struggle inside iran's political class appeared to be intensifying, with reformist and conservative leaders exchanging sharp statement sunday that leave each other for last week's deadly street violence, while authorities arrested five family members of one of the nation's most prominent politicians. st. charles, missouri. bill on our democrats line. caller: i do not think obama is being too timid. i think we ought to stay out of iran's business.

i hear lindsay graham talking about they have got blood on the hands the look of the blood we have on our hands in iraq. how can this man stand and say this? this is nothing but a cia operation. this is what they do. they get our money and they go to stabilize and a country that they -- that they don't feel needs to be. host: just be clear, you see this current unrest in tehran and elsewhere in iran as a cia operation? caller: with the $500 million we gave the cia to destabilize the election. they don't understand. i heard netanyahu saying the other day saying iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. who told israel they can have nuclear-weapons? i'm sick of it as an american citizen and a navy veteran having to give israel $3 billion every year. does this country everything but take -- other than take handouts? this has to be the largest

welfare state on the planet? why can't they make their own living? why do we have to continue funding is road year in and year out and they do nothing but break every resolution ever put against of? host: that was a charleston the missouri. clearwater, florida. paul on the independent lines. are you there? virginia, floyd on the republican line. caller: i think he needs to stand up and say a whole lot more than what he has. i think the reason why he has not stood up and said a lot, one of the reasons because we have a -- have the t parties, the in ministration -- tea parties, they come out a little bit later, people had bumper stickers against abortion on their cars that they should be checked out by state police, and this, that, and the other. there been 50 million babies killed in america and the

democrats cannot say anything about that, so how can he stand up to those people. they don't care. host: shreveport, louisiana. mildred on our democrats line. caller: good morning. i was calling -- to you guys tried to find the most negative news articles? i do not hear anyone asking bush where the jobs. as far as iran, why should he say anything now and if something happens they would just crack down on those people? combat to say -- obama is doing this and that. all they want to do is war. they just want to send troops in. he is a leader. other people they are just talking because there are not in power. host: tenn., misty, independent

scholar. caller: good morning. thank you. i'm an independent, and i'm really sick of the partisan bickering i'm seeing on this issue and other issues. i think he is doing the smart thing. i think it is the height of arrogance to think our president should go in and make a big brouhaha over this. the iranians are taking care of themselves. host: a programming note this morning, we will be covering the comments by the former crown prince of iran, 10:00 this morning at the national press club on c-span. a writer for "the new york times" with a guest on this program last week, he has a news analysis piece. in the battle for iran's streets, both sides seek to carry the banner of islam. in the battle to control iran's

streets, both the government and opposition are deploying religious symbols and parable's put -- to portray themselves as pursuing the ideal of the islamic state. that struggle could prove the main fulcrum in the battle for the hearts and minds of most ordinary iranians because the islamist revolution, since its inception, has painted itself as badly evil. if the government fails the test of being just cannot leased by using excessive violence against its citizens, it risks letting the opposition wrap itself in the mantle of islamic of virtue. brookhaven, mississippi. next up on our republican line. what about the administration's response? this is mary question -- this is mary. go ahead. caller: i get disgusted with the democrats calling in and saying that republicans want to go to war with iran. all the republicans are saying is just support and tell them

that they agree with freedom and everything and they do not need to be says -- the host should specify this when it comes up and say that. they did say, now, look, lindsay graham did not say anything about military action, he only supports their freedom and their right to protest. that is all they are saying. and something needs to be done about this, because this is telling the american people that the republicans want to go to war with iran because of this. they are definitely against that and they have come out and said that. just keeping on saying it, that republicans want military action, they have not said nothing about military action in this thing that is going on over there now. they are just asking the president to support wanting their freedom and the right to protest. host: the next view is from carol, iowa, tony on independent

line. caller: i think the obama administration is probably doing the right thing just because you never know what they are up to over there. kind of like the story of troy, how you defeat a great army, suck them in and get them from behind. so i think they are doing all right. we will see. time will tell. host: "usa today" as a story about iraq. the front-page story is about the drawdown of u.s. troops. despite risks, country is eager for drawdown. american see progress, the hot spots remain. as the june 30 the deadline approaches, writes "usa today," for most u.s. troops to withdraw from iraqi cities at a six-year occupation, much of the countries eager for the change. vast areas including baghdad have seen security improved dramatically and, while some tensions linger between sunni and shi'ite moslems, major combat operations and on to a close. meanwhile the iraqi government says it's ready to provide security and some of the response belize have been that have been performed largely by

americans since the 2003 invasion to topple saddam hussein. st. paul, minn., next up. on the democrats' line. caller: the name is lorena. i am very happy with obama being very cautious and i'm glad the democrats are in power at this point because, according to the republicans, the last lady said they did not talk about military, but they are talking about kind of the way we got into the iraq war and afghanistan. and i certainly don't want that to happen in iran. these people, i feel sorry for them, and i hope the support will be through the u.n. and the other countries in europe. we don't always have to be first. that is not our policy. we should be bright, that is the main thing.

host: now washington, ky. republican collar. -- caller. caller: i do think the president is a little bit too timid in what he has said. honestly it really does not matter what he says because even if the more moderate leader does get in, the ayatollah is still going to be in power and is still not going to ever accept israel's right to exist. host: a couple of editorial views here on the conflict in iran. this is "the washington post" this morning. he writes -- president obama was right to exercise caution, both because the united states should not imply false promises it will not able to keep and the increase could come indeed, heard them. and, paradoxically, european political leaders have been outspoken in criticizing the iranian government's abuse is precisely because obama's

restraint gave them room to act independently. views in "the washington post." the editorial writers of "the wall street journal," meanwhile, has obama and the roads, the lead editorial did they write, the risks of doing nothing are even more serious now because it would show the north and the world that you and sanctions would mean nothing. this article about north korea and iran. on north korea they write the threat of a north korean attack on the south is small, but also the danger of nuclear proliferation, the u.s. and its allies, is clear and present. we know p'yongyang has proliferated to iran and syria in the recent past. senator john mccain said yesterday -- he was on "face the nation" -- that the u.s. should board the boat the u.s. is shadowing off the coast of korea and count on domestic political support. will the president let kim jong- il make a mockery of u.n. condemnation?

utah, good morning to dan, independent collar. caller: i just want to say i think obama is doing a good job by staying out of iran. also i think that the caller who called about is -- why always supporting is russell much? i think everybody should go to the internet and look of the uss liberty and research of that. it is israel tried to get us to go to war. " scud you think israel is involved in the iranian situation -- host cut you think israel is involved in the arena situation? caller: i just like the other person said, what have they done to us? host: what should be worked -- why should u.s. go to the liberty? caller: it was sunk by israel and they were trying to blame it on -- so we would get involved in their war. host: brooklyn in new york, stephanie on the democrats' line.

caller: i totally agree with the navy serviceman who called, thank you for your service. i lost two uncles and vietnam. -- in vietnam. we went into iraq and killed millions of people, thousands of american troops were lost and we did not belong in iran. we have to let this thing play out. we should support the president and lindsay graham should be ashamed of himself saying we need to come out. we have enough problems here in this country and not on our hands in afghanistan and trying to get out of iraq and how dare him suggest that the president should and will result in iran. i support all the callers who support the president and we are americans and we should not be split between democrats and republicans. this is one country and it has been split down the middle for way too long, eight years of bush and we have nothing but blood on our hands so for lindsay graham to say this present will have blood on his hands, look at the last

administration. host: that call from brooklyn, new york. the front page from "the new york times" with a picture of the demonstrations in iran. lead article, unrest sharply divides the ruling clerics did ex-president's relatives briefly held inside of a governing rift. atlantic, the morning, michael on independent line. -- atlanta, good morning. caller: i want all the republicans to remember what happened when george bush in iraq said we support you, you guys could rise up and we support you and then saddam hussein slaughtered those guys. so we have to be really careful. we don't want to have to just have tough talk and then when they start getting slaughtered we don't go in there. all the republicans just setting tough talk to show symbolism is a good thing, they have to remember their history. go back to 1991 with what george

h. bush did with the shiites in iraq. host: port st. lucie, fla., mike on the republican line. caller: i do not think the president is handling this very well at all. all of these callers are an indicator. it just seems to me that the administration could not maybe but absolutely at least say some positive words for the people who are risking their lives. it is just like our own soldiers risking their lives for the freedom of this man to be president. host: next to philadelphia, democratic caller, good morning. you are on the air. caller: i am in complete agreement with the present. republicans seem to think everything -- president. republicans seem to think of a thing should be handled with force. the last caller actually did it perfectly. how would we feel if iran can

over here because they did not like the results of the 2000 election. i do not understand the marched to war. it seems like it is all what the republicans seem to want. and thank you for c-span. host: @ thank you for calling. pittsburgh post-gazette caring but "new york times" story. here is what they have on the front page. iran in power struggle. the headline courtesy -- as we go to virginia. our independent line. caller: good morning. i would like to make a point that i have lived in eastern part of germany, communist germany, and i know how important it is to have a contact, lifeline to western information. if we do not follow through, this freedom will be crushed. we have to look at history, the time that hitler was in power,

america was standing on the sidelines. waiting in iran until the bomb comes? we have to stand up for our freedom and we have to support people who have the urge to get the freedom. " cut a couple of more minutes for the phone calls, we talk -- host: a couple of more minutes for the phone calls. iran clarets show riffed, "the richmond times dispatch" headline. a story on the front page of code the new york times" this morning about the reporter who escaped from the taliban. with plan and a hidden rhode. an afghan journalist who was captive by taliban for several months along with new york times reporter revealed details on sunday about a nighttime escape that include weeks of careful plotting, taking advantage of

with regard and dropping down a 20-foot wall with a rope. the afghan journalist said in an interview that the escape early saturday from the second floor of the taliban compounds in north waziristan, pakistan's tribal areas, was a desperate attempt by two severely demoralized reporters to believe the taliban were not seriously negotiating and would hold them indefinitely. the pulitzer prize winning journalist at "the times, " along with their driver, were adopted outside of kabul on november 11 -- excuse me, november 10, as mr. rohde rebel to interview a taliban commander for a book he was writing. they said they had been threatened with death by their captors. the two escaped early saturday morning. michigan, bill on our republican line. caller: good morning. i have something to say about iran. i do believe we need to back these people.

i do believe if we do nothing -- if we do nothing in supporting these people they will massacre them. these people have no chance to fight. we won't give them a chance. one thing i realize, our president is a young man and he is trying to do his thing, but the ask me, he is scared to death of doing anything except attacking the white people and the white structure, he is all for the muslims and he does not care about anything else. host: greensboro, n.c., on the democrats' line. caller: calling in response to the lady who said the republicans are not interested in war. does she remember that during the campaign that senator mccain kept singing the song, bomb, iran? and on the television this past weekend on cnn and fox, there

was an iranian film maker who was over here and he said his friends were in nailing him, and twittered him -- the word out that president obama should continue to do what he is doing because if he were to come out war, that would make it more difficult for the protesters because the government would use that and say that the americans were supporting the protesters and encouraging them to continue to do that. this was an iranian-american who was on television asking, and he himself said that how the senator mccain have the nerve to come out now and say what he said when he had indicated about bombing iran. host: we read the comments of south carolina senator lindsay

graham. prime minister benjamin netanyahu was also on the sunday shows, he was on "meet the press, " and he was asked what the president should do and hear his comments. >> i am not here to second-guess the president of the united states. i know president obama once the people of iran to be free, he said as much in his seminal speech in cairo before the muslim world. i have spoken to him a number of times on this subject. there is no question we would all like to see a different iran with different policies. remember, this is a regime that not only represses its own people, but the great russian scientist and humanist said a regime that oppresses its own people sooner or later will oppressed its neighbors. and certainly iran has been doing that. it has been calling for the denial of the holocaust, it is threatening to wipe israel off the map, it is pursuing nuclear weapons to that in fact, it is

sponsoring terror against us, and about the world. so, i think what everybody would like to see is a change of policy. the change of policy is both outside and inside. host: the comments of benjamin netanyahu on "meet the press." st. petersburg, florida. thomas on the independent line. caller: anti-terrorist training material currently being used by the department of defense teaches its personnel that free expression in the form of public protest should be regarded as low level terrorism. this is what the part of the -- defense, which is suppose protect our civil rights, is teaching its personnel that people who question authority should be regarded as low-level terrorists. host: the story on some of the former guantanamo detaineess. bermuda premier faces scrutiny, the decision to accept former

guantanamo prisoners fuels' debate about bill leader's motives. bermuda's top elected officials survived a vote of no-confidence after a 14-hour parliamentary debate here over the weekend. prime minister ewart brown remains focus of a fiery public debate over the motives that led him to accept for freed prisoners from the u.s. detention facility in guantanamo bay, cuba. mr. brown said the decision was the right thing to do and he was happy to help the united states and to president obama. new mexico, last call on the issue of the response to iran. this is chris. good morning. on a cut of the lady before the last digit of a cut, the lady before the last caller was absolutely correct. any direct support from the united states would strengthen the hard-liners from iran and the iranians know that and that is what is coming on