Why Did The Washington Post Axe Dan Froomkin and Give Paul Wolfowitz a Column?

Just one day after firing Dan Froomkin -- one of only a few voices willing to offer insightful, well-researched criticism of both the Bush and Obama administrations -- the Washington Post did something even more outrageous: It gave Paul Wolfowitz a platform to criticize the president's Iran policy.

Wolfowitz, the former deputy secretary of defense who famously claimed American forces in Iraq would be "welcomed as liberators," urged Obama today to abandon his "almost neutral" approach to Iran in an opinion piece called " 'No Comment' Is Not an Option."

"Coming from America," Wolfowitz writes, "silence is itself a comment -- a comment in support of those holding power and against those protesting the status quo."

Ever eager to disguise his foamy-mouthed imperialism with a candy-coated benevolence, Wolfowitz would be wise to understand the implications of his comments: The assertion that the United States must take a firm stance on the Iran issue carries the paternalistic assumption that the demonstrators somehow "need" our support - that their actions are void without Uncle Sam's wink and thumbs-up. Wolfowitz's position essentially robs Iranians of their agency, and its arrogance reinforces Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's argument that the West is acting behind the scenes.