WRONG AGAIN: Said With Tongue in Cheek
Although Iran is on its way to ridding itself of a theocratic government, they’ve taken another body blow well south of the belt in this last election. It appeared, momentary as it was that the Guardian Council might have come to their senses when they considered annulling the election results in favor of another, better organized election, but that didn’t happen. Instead, the council slithered back to standard operating procedures and ordered the killing of dissidents and jailing leaders of the opposition. The leaders to be jailed can expect to be made an example of, whatever that means. Not good!
The president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is beaming because of his election ‘success’ , so much so that he fired another critical volley at the US demanding an apology from Obama for interfering in Iran’s election. This reinforces two things this blog has emphasized recently. First, Ahmadinejad isn’t likely to come around just because Obama wants to ‘extend a hand.’ Secondly, Ahmadinejad has been strengthened politically in the region and Obama, therefore the US, has been weakened in terms of influence. It is much easier to negotiate from a position of power than from weakness. Obama has exposed the US’s underbelly. America is now in an either/or situation. Stay on our backs and be seen as vulnerable or, to regain strong footing, the US must now do something extreme. Neither option is good. Obama, with all his good intentions, has placed America in this untenable position.