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Richard Cochrane is trained in chemistry and metallurgy but is far more interested and practiced as a political and fund raising consultant, writer and amateur historian. He grew up in a Navy family and with his two younger brothers carried on its 500+ year tradition of naval service to Great Britain and the USA then enjoyed a career with one of the largest advertising and public relations agencies working with numerous Fortune 500 companies and many of America's premier educational institutions. He maintains friendships and acquaintanceships around the world. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.

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Iran media: Obama Sent Secret Letter Of Support To Khamenei Before Election - “Love Note”

June 26th, 2009 • Richard Cochrane
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supreme-leader Before Iran’s presidential election, Obama sent a secret letter to its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for “cooperation in regional and bilateral relations” and a resolution of the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program.

Irans media gave great prominence to the strange disclosure - for which they cited the Washington Times of Wednesday, June 24 - in order to underline Obama’s backing for Khamenei and president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in contrast to his latest words of condemnation for the regime and support for the “reformists.” At best the letter was ill-timed and with Obama’s later repudiation creates and image of confusion and indecision or worse.

According to the WT, a senior Obama administration official speaking on condition of anonymity refused to confirm or deny that this letter had been sent to the supreme leader or whether there had been a response.

 Iran is using this expose to embarrass Obama for telling a news conference in Washington Tuesday that Iran’s rulers are on the wrong side of history while sending secret expressions of support. .

 The secrecy of the communication can only add to the awkwardness because it points to Obama being convinced that once the protest movement dies down, he can go back to his plan for engaging Iran’s leaders in dialogue almost as soon as the bodies are buried.

Khamenei himself referred indirectly to the missive when he commented in his sermon last Friday:

“On the one hand, they write a letter to us to express their respect for the Islamic Republic and for re-establishment of ties, and on the other hand, they make these remarks. Which one of these remarks are we supposed to believe.”

 Following the disclosure of the Obama letter, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs announced: “Given the events of the past many days, those invitations [for Iranian diplomats to attend July 4 events in different world capitals] will no longer be extended.”

 The events going back and forth in a single day, Wednesday, signaled a conspicuous retreat in the process of US-Iranian rapprochement and a continuation of waffling that encourages U. S. enemies to act more aggressively.

There Is 1 Response So Far. »

  1. Comment by slowsmile on 27 June 2009:

    I cannot imagine that Obama could be this stupid. I am truly confused and amused with his relationship with the Iran rulers, particularly that his two-facedness is clearly there for all to see and experience. Therefore, clearly, whatever rhetoric this man utters is purely for political position in order to appease or bluff all sides — in other words his utterances are meaningless. Obama shows great weakness here, a lack of true direction where everything appears to be political smokescreen. And the only outcome from these twisted, verbal, opposite babblings are that Obama appears both weak and indecisive.

    Believable, he is not.

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