\n<\/p>\n
Still, not all skepticism about Mr. Obama\u2019s Iran policy came from outside the building, and not everyone felt that their opinions were necessarily welcome inside the building. Dennis C. Blair, who served as director of national intelligence until he was pushed out<\/a>, described a meeting that was advertised as looking for fresh insights on Iran.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it came my turn to speak at this meeting,\u201d Mr. Blair recalled, \u201cI said, \u2018Mr. President, you really just have one decision to make. It\u2019s really important, but it\u2019s only a single one. Are you going to tolerate Iran having a nuclear weapon or not?\u2019\u201d If no, he said, then that would prompt certain espionage and military options. If yes, then it would require ways to contain and deter a nuclear-armed Iran.<\/p>\n But evidently, Mr. Blair\u2019s contribution peeved the slow-to-anger president. \u201cThe president took me aside after that meeting and said, \u2018Denny, don\u2019t ever put me on the spot like that again,\u2019\u201d Mr. Blair recalled. \u201cI said, \u2018What?\u2019 I mean, I didn\u2019t say, \u2018What?\u2019 but I said, \u2018Yes, sir, Mr. President. I certainly won\u2019t.\u2019\u201d But Mr. Blair said, \u201cI was kept out of meetings from that time forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Other former advisers told stories about Mr. Obama\u2019s support for his team. Ray LaHood, a Republican who served as transportation secretary, recounted how the president worked behind the scenes to liberate his son Sam LaHood when he was barred from leaving Egypt for two months. The younger Mr. LaHood was the director of the International Republican Institute in Egypt and targeted by the government<\/a> in a crackdown on foreign groups.<\/p>\n \u201cObama didn\u2019t make a lot of noise about it publicly, but I was told that every day, he talked to his staff about, \u2018What are we doing? How are we going to get him out of there?\u2019\u201d Ray LaHood recalled. \u201cI never really placed a call to Obama and said, \u2018Hey, come on.\u2019 They just \u2014 they told me, \u2018He\u2019s taking care of it.\u2019 That was it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n