Manila 1986, Berlin 1989, Tehran 2009?

There is still an excellent chance that in a few hours, when the sun rises over Tehran, it will illuminate tanks in the street rather than green-scarf-waving protesters.

But for tonight, at least, I want to believe that the protests in Tehran won't be a repeat of Tiananmen Square, but rather the People Power that ousted Ferdinand Marcos and the wave of Democracy that brought down the Berlin Wall.

Since Saturday, the coverage of the Iranian election and the ensuing protests has veered, dizzingly, from disappointment to outrage to excitement to horror to hope.

The photos of hundreds of thousands - possibly as many as two million - Mousavi supporters defying a ban from the Ayatollah to fill the streets of Tehran in support of their probably cheated candidate are moving beyond words.

The Iranian "revolution" of 1978-79, which ousted the tyrant and American puppet Reza Pahlavi, had nothing to do with democratic elections and everything to do with ending 26 years of American imperalism in Persia.

The Green Protests in Tehran are entirely internal, without a single "America the Great Satan" or "Death to America" to be seen. And for once, we have a president who knows when to keep his mouth shut and his military as far away from events as possible.

It's 4 a.m. in Tehran, where it's quiet but probably few people are asleep. A Green Revolution or tanks rolling over the bodies of protesters? All we can do is wait.