The Revolution will be "Tweeted"

The events unfolding in the aftermath of the Iranian election are amazing. Sadly, the Ayatollah is cracking down on the mostly peaceful demonstrators and using brutal and deadly methods to silence them. It's very hard to say whether or not what is happening in Iran right now is a revolution. The Ayatollah is clearly very rattled and using an iron fist to quash this dissent and preserve the ruling Theocracy. What's really interesting, however, is that the greatest threat to the Ayatollah and Akmadinajad's power right now is not Mousavi, the mainstream media, or even the millions of people taking to the streets and rooftops wearing green...but social networking sites. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and MySpace are proving to be game changers in regards to how political dissent can occur.

Meanwhile, back in the good old U.S. of A., one of the more puzzling criticisms of president Obama in terms of his handling of the situation in Iran is his "lack" of support for the Iranian people. One of the most vocal critics of the president on this subject has been from the Senator formerly known as John "The Maverick" McCain. First of all, I'm not so sure the people of Iran want the United States interfering in their politics at all (You may remember we tried that once before and it didn't turn out so well). Second, the president's statements thus far have been spot on and very appropriate with the current information we currently have coming out of Iran:

"What you're seeing in Iran are hundreds of thousands of people who believe their voices were not heard and who are peacefully protesting and seeking justice. And the world is watching. And we stand behind those who are seeking justice in a peaceful way. Already we've seen violence out there. I've said this throughout the week, I want to repeat it, that we stand with those who would look to peaceful resolution of conflict and we believe that the voices of people have to be heard, that that's a universal value that the American people stand for and this administration stands for. And I'm very concerned, based on some of the tenor and tone of the statements that have been made, that the government of Iran recognize that the world is watching. And how they approach and deal with people who are -- through peaceful means -- trying to be heard will I think send a pretty clear signal to the international community about what Iran is and is not.

But the last point I want to make on this -- this is not an issue of the United States or the West versus Iran; this is an issue of the Iranian people. The fact that they are on the streets, under pretty severe duress, at great risk to themselves, is a sign that there's something in that society that wants to open up. And, you know, we respect Iran's sovereignty and we respect the fact that ultimately the Iranian people have to make these decisions.

But I hope that the world understands that this is not something that has to do with the outside world; this has to do with what's happening in Iran. And I think ultimately the Iranian people will obtain justice." - President Barack Obama

Of course as things develop and new information comes to light over the coming days and weeks I would bet that the president, along with the international community, will continue to form a response and act accordingly if action over words become necessary. But for now, this is turning out to be a PR battle between the people and the establishment. As long as the Ayatollah keeps savagely beating down the voice of the people and those horrific images and videos keep being uploaded for the world to see, the more the Theocracy loses that battle. Imagine that? A government taken down by Twitter?

As someone who uses all of these social networking sites to post status updates about the weather, where I'm going to dinner, or how the Red Sox are pissing me off on a given night, I feel very lucky right now. For now, let's hope that the violence in Iran calms down soon and that a better future is in store for all of those people who have risked and given their lives for what they believe in.