If Libya Falls, Will That Make It Easier To Topple Iran Next?

OK, everyone smile and say "Libya"...um, guys?

Challah Hu Akbar quotes Michael Rubin, who offers this piece of hopeful analysis on why Iran is next:

Qaddafi’s exile or death will be the last nail in the coffin of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Egyptians thought, “If Tunisians can do it, why not us.” When Mubarak fled, Libyans concluded that it was their turn. If people power can topple Qaddafi, not even the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will be able to contain the rage of the Iranian people. And if the Islamic Republic collapses, then suddenly the threats from Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad will decline as their state support evaporates.

I sure do hope he's right.

But Qaddafi is much more blatant than Iran, and even then everyone overlooked what was happening in Libya--even HRW was giving Qaddafi a free pass. Should the Iranian people see the international support for Qaddafi's ouster and draw inspiration, or remember back to the protests against Ahmadinejad's stolen election and the silence of the United States--followed by Ahmadinejad's trip to New York to speak at the UN?

We can only hope that after Mubarak and Qaddafi, Obama has had enough practice calling for dictators to leave, so that this time he can support the Iranian people properly.

Technorati Tag: Libya and Iran.