[Dean's World] Dean: Dancing With The Ayatollah

[notify at powerblogs.com]

Posted by Dean:
Dancing With The Ayatollah
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1149513053.shtml


   Apparently, Newsweek and the leaders of several nations are [1]quite
   impressed with Condi Rice's high-stakes poker game with Iran.
   Apparently, most people agree with [2]Austin Bays assessment.

   One paragraph in the Newsweek piece both pleased and annoyed me
   though. It goes to one of my pet peeves:

     The question now is how the Iranians will respond. Ahmadinejad,
     predictably, dismissed the offer. But to a degree poorly understood
     in Washington, he has limited control over Iran's nuclear program.
     Other Iranian officials were more measured, though they all
     rejected immediate suspension.

   It's a relief to see someone in the press finally acknowledging that
   President Ahmadinejad of Iran doesn't have much power. It's just
   annoying to see them say that his limited power is "poorly understood
   in Washington," when one senses that the people with the poor
   understanding are the press in Washington.

   President Amhadinejad of Iran was not elected by any legitimate means,
   nor for that matter does he hold any significant power. The man who
   holds all the real power in Iran is [3]Ali Khamenei and a group of
   elders surrounding him. We would do well to recognize this, otherwise
   we may at times fool ourselves. Ahmadinejad can be slapped down any
   time Khamenei & Co. want to, and that could be either good or bad for
   us depending on the circumstances.

   (For more on how Iran's government is really structured, see [4]Iran
   is a Republic, Not a Democracy.)

References

   1. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13123122/site/newsweek/
   2. http://austinbay.net/blog/?p=1127
   3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khamenei
   4. http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1125061398.shtml