Monday, February 23, 2009
The mullahs strike back against Khatami
The mullahs behind the Islamic Republic's throne are signalling their disapproval of the candidacy of Mohammed Khatami to succeed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (my background post). They have shut down web sites backing Khatami in an obvious bid to prevent the "youth" candidate, such as he is, from winning the presidential election later this year. Now, Khatami is far from "liberal" in any Western sense, but he was and is sufficiently annoying to the clerics that they are apparently delighted, once again, to give the lie to democracy in Iran. This would seem to undermine the argument of American hawks that Khatami is just a kinder, gentler, Ahmadinejad (otherwise, why would the mullahs do this?), and of American doves that Iran is a genuine, functioning democracy.
3 Comments:
By 
, at
Mon Feb 23, 09:52:00 AM:
"This would seem to undermine the argument of American hawks that Khatami is just a kindler, gentler, Ahmadinejad (otherwise, why would the mullahs do this?)"
For the same reason Stalin hunted Trotsky all over the face of the earth. When it comes to faith based systems of government, absolute devotion to dogma requires any small deviation to be treated harshly. I think about this way: If Ahmadinejad is a guy who wants to inaugurate the new Tel Aviv nuclear testing facility right away, with Iran's only bomb, Khatami is probably the guy who wants to wait until Iran has two bombs. That's the probable degree of difference it seems to me, an admittedly ignorant guy on the finer points of Iranian mullahcracy, but it's probably enough to prompt the sociopaths running the country to rage forth out of Qom in all their righteous ferocity.
By , at
Mon Feb 23, 10:34:00 AM:
I think that is pretty perceptive logic:
1 bomb bad (no patience in rage)
2 bombs good (patience in rage)
-David
By 
Dawnfire82, at
Mon Feb 23, 04:41:00 PM:
"This would seem to undermine the argument of American hawks that Khatami is just a kinder, gentler, Ahmadinejad (otherwise, why would the mullahs do this?)"
Political patronage system.
