You know, Izzy Dunne, I was tempted to ignore your question, but it's really quite fair.
And I do not have an answer that contains any useful metric other than:
Whatever it takes for the Iranian people to be freed from tyranny (this one, and any other that seeks to replace it) and to enjoy the kind of freedom we Americans enjoy -- whether it is through a democratic republic or some other form of government. (Well, actually, I wish them better than what we have today but don't get me started.)From what I am told, by Iranians and those who know them, it seems evident to me that the American system might not work well there. Perhaps the Israeli system would work better.
But how to get there? There are many facets to this, but I am told that federal funding for many, if not all, has been drying up. This needs to change; whatever we do, America needs to provide hope for these people and be ready to back that hope up with action if necessary. [And how many times have we failed at that? We need a new track record!]
BUT... any revolution needs to be Iranian at its core. The French supported the American Revolution, but it was support -- they did not run it. And IMHO that is what we should do for the people of Iran.
Everything I have seen for years, on FR and elsewhere, says that if America were to provide this support, we would have no greater friend in the world than Iran (except maybe Israel -- and yes, I know about the Liberty). The Iranians already love Americans; there have been many threads on FR over the years that show this.
When Bush sent support to the people of Bam, Iran, in December 2003 following the catastrophic earthquake there, the reaction was typified by this photo. An Iranian man is distributing roses to the American rescuers. Roses, I am told, are very special to Iranians. My wife (who once lived in Iran and who speaks Farsi) burst into tears when she saw that picture, and then explained what it meant. From an Iranian perspective. He's no "fairy" -- he is honoring them.
So, Izzy Dunne, I don't have a very "useful" answer to your question, in terms of what we should plan to do completely up front, not knowing the fine details of the ground ahead, but I do have an answer of what we should be striving toward.
And what Obama offered is a LONG ways from "enough."