What inadvertent damage we do by verbally supporting some dissidents without following through

The US has a long habit of verbally supporting dissident groups in other countries so strongly that they believe that they will get material help from the US. Then when they rebel the US stands by and watches as they get crushed. This is happening now in Tibet. The US awarded the Dalia Lama the Congressional Gold medal, but is not prepared to be active in supporting the Tibetans who demonstrated against China. The US did this to the Kurds under Saddam Hussain and as far back as 1956, verbally encouraged the Hungarian uprising, but had to watch its brutal suppression by Russia. It is critical that the US understands how words of support may be read by oppressed people around the world, or many more people will die.