The July 9 general strike called by opponents of the regime in Tehran imposes a deadline for the Bush administration to sort out its Iran policy. It would be about time. On July 8 of last year, the State Department spokesman, Richard Boucher, was asked about Iranian demonstrations scheduled for July 9, 2002. His response was one of the most memorable defaults of all time.

QUESTION: Scheduled for tomorrow, there are supposedly going to be major demonstrations in Tehran. Does the State Department have a message for the demonstrators, given U.S. interest in this recently?

MR. BOUCHER: No.

QUESTION: You have no message?

MR. BOUCHER: We don’t —

QUESTION: This is supposed to be a really big demonstration and, you know, the “axis of evil” speech from the President, unelected few —- (laughter) —

QUESTION: Is that the official U.S. line?

MR. BOUCHER: That’s the official U.S. line. No, the official U.S. line is, you know, we don’t comment when people demonstrate. I mean, when do we give messages to demonstrators?

QUESTION: Well, no —

MR. BOUCHER: I guess — no, I remember. Bob Strauss went out the night that the Soviet Union fell out, fell apart, and he gave the liberty message to demonstrators. That’s about the only instance that I can remember that we’ve been out there. Certainly in places as far away as Tehran, the idea that we would have a message every time there’s a demonstration is a little far-fetched.

After the American Enterprise Institute’s Michael Ledeen memorably called the Bush administration on this, President Bush himself issued a statement, on July 12, 2002. “We have seen throughout history the power of one simple idea: when given a choice, people will choose freedom. As we have witnessed over the past few days, the people of Iran want the same freedoms, human rights, and opportunities as people around the world. Their government should listen to their hopes,” the president said.

A fine sentiment, but over the past year, the Bush administration has for the most part failed to follow it up with action. Senator Brownback, who has emerged as one of the Senate’s wisest voices on foreign policy matters, put his finger on the problem when he said, “Part of the reason comes from a failure to realize exactly how much the situation in Iran has changed. The traditional foreign policy view on Iran has been that anything the U.S. does to help democracy dissidents will only poison them inside their own society as tools of America.”

But the Iranian freedom fighters are pleading for a clear signal of support from America, ahead of the protest — something more than either Mr. Boucher or Mr. Bush provided the last time around. “It would just take for the U.S. to make very clear that we want to change the regime — no platitudes, no pussyfooting around,” a professor at Georgetown University, Rob Sobhani, told The New York Sun. Mr. Brownback has a plan to provide American funding for radio broadcasts and other activities in support of freedom in Iran.

The Iranian freedom activists themselves are taking great risks. Few Americans can know the courage it takes to march against the government in the streets of a tyranny, knowing that the tyranny is armed with guns and its dungeons are filled with dissidents. Even the Iranian exiles are courageous — the governing thugs have gone so far as to hunt down and murder opponents of the regime in cold blood in the streets of Europe. In advance of this July 9, the least America can do is give the Iranian freedom fighters whatever help they seek.