Tehran-ology and the Friedman Unit, Ctd.

Scott Lucas of Enduring America responds to my initial post:

The primary issue for me, as one of the bloggers mentioned in the piece, is not Iran's nuclear programme. That may be the foremost concern for many in Washington, but I suggest that it is not for most of those demonstrating in Iran --- their chief concern is the legitimacy of their Government and system.

Our decision to feature Iran on a "rolling update" basis, along with in-depth analysis of the political, religious, and ideological issues, is to give due recognition and attention to those concerns. And when the "mainstream" media was crippled and then blinded by the Iranian Government's restrictions, we pressed harder to ensure that the story did not disappear. If we had the time and resources, we would do the same for a situation like Sri Lanka --- it just so happens we have specialist expertise and connections in the case of Iran.

With respect, I think the call to "stand down" points more to the nuclear-centric bias of many of those commenting from the US rather than an appreciation of the issues inside Iran. Instead, I suggest that standing down is a political, if not a moral, abandonment of those issues.

You can follow the rest of our exchange in the comments section.