It means never having to say “regime” again:
Today marks the Obama administration’s first foray into discussion of its Iran policy before the Congress. Stuart Levey, Undersecretary of the Treasury (and not incidentally the single most effective U.S. official to confront the Iran threat in either the Bush or Obama administrations) is testifying before the Senate Banking Committee this morning. … Check out Levey’s March 2007 testimony before the very same committee, in which he refers to the Iranian “regime” 17 times. Today’s testimony contains nary a reference to the Iranian “regime,” preferring “Iranian government.” You know, like the British government, or the French government. Not a “regime” which, we all know too well, could actually be misconstrued as something the U.S. views as odious, dangerous, or (gasp) possibly subject to “change.” Apparently the word regime, which appeared in the draft testimony, was excised at the behest of President Obama’s National Security Council. Very sensitive.
