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Washington:
There has been fierce debate in the United States about President Barack Obama's reaction to the Iran protests -- with some saying he has not given enough support to the Tehran demonstrators.
By minimizing policy differences between incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- who claimed victory in the disputed presidential election -- and challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi, whose supporters have flooded the streets, Obama has angered conservatives and put the White House and some Democrats on the back foot.
Senator John McCain, Obama's Republican rival in last year's US election, described the president's response as "tepid," and blasted him for abandoning the "fundamental principles" of the United States.
Obama has stressed that universal rights of peaceful protest should be honoured in Iran, but has refused to pick sides in the showdown.
He warned that US "meddling" in Iran's internal politics would be counterproductive, and vowed to push forward his engagement policy with Iran.
It is a stance that has left some lawmakers fuming.
"Their silence on the issue of human rights violations is very troubling to me," said Eric Cantor, the number two Republican in the House of Representatives.
By minimizing policy differences between incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- who claimed victory in the disputed presidential election -- and challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi, whose supporters have flooded the streets, Obama has angered conservatives and put the White House and some Democrats on the back foot.
Senator John McCain, Obama's Republican rival in last year's US election, described the president's response as "tepid," and blasted him for abandoning the "fundamental principles" of the United States.
Obama has stressed that universal rights of peaceful protest should be honoured in Iran, but has refused to pick sides in the showdown.
He warned that US "meddling" in Iran's internal politics would be counterproductive, and vowed to push forward his engagement policy with Iran.
It is a stance that has left some lawmakers fuming.
"Their silence on the issue of human rights violations is very troubling to me," said Eric Cantor, the number two Republican in the House of Representatives.
