Obama Administration Cuts Funding to Monitor Human Rights in Iran

Given that the Obama Administration and its left-wing allies in Congress are giving out federal money like it was cake doesn't have but a morsel to spare when it comes to monitoring human rights in Iran.

Back in July, the State Department chose not to allocate any funding to the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center (IHRDC). Since 2004, it had received $3 million in federal funding and was seeking $2.7 million over the next two years. The IHRDC has devoted itself to monitoring human rights abuses in Iran since the Islamic Revolution and seeks, amongst other things, to promote accountability, respect for human rights and the rule of law in Iran.

Suzanne Maloney of the Brookings Institute insists the decision has nothing to do with the Obama Administration's policy of engagement and appeasement of Iran:

I could see why it's being seen as a policy symbol, but we have to be careful not to create tempests and teapots where they don't exist. This funding is not intended to send policy signals. In all likelihood, this is a bureaucratic decision.

So the decision to cut federal funding to an organization that monitors human rights in Iran was made by a mid-level manager in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. It has nothing to do with the fact that engagement with Iran is the centerpiece of the Obama Administration's foreign policy. Yeah surrre. Just like President Obama's decision not to meet with the Dalai Lama had nothing to do with getting in the good graces of China. Just like health care reform won't add a dime to the federal deficit.