Obama couldn't sway the Iranian election even if he wanted to.

Slate by Fred Kaplan | Jun. 12, 2009 (Opinion)

Ahmadinejad has great appeal among rural voters; he bills himself as one of them, plays to their Islamic conservatism, and lavishes enormous subsidies on them. He is greatly disliked in the cities for those same economic policies, which cause massive inflation, as well as for his repression of modern lifestyles, especially of women's rights. Full Story »

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by James Canning - Jun. 12, 2009

So-so report. G W Bush was certainly a dunce in his approach to the Middle East, and Senator Jackson (D Washington) was rabidly "anti-Soviet" (and pro-"defense" spending on gargauntuan scale). Kaplan seems to approve of the foolish effort to convince Syria to turn against Iran. Kaplan does not mention that the Hezbollah coalition won 54% of the vote in Lebanon.

No matter who wins the presidential election in Iran, Obama should reopen the US embassy in Tehran. Obama should also send a skilled non-Jewish ambassador to Damascus, and fire Dennis Ross as special assistant for Iran.