Iranian President Goes Over Deep End

While Iranian President, Ahmadinejad, has issued reprehensible statement after statement, recent reports neglect to report his status within Iran itself. Many see him as a clown, much on the order of a George Bush. The difference between the two, however, is that few in the Iranian government take him seriously, while too many in the US take George Bush too seriously.

Ahmadinejad's power is nowhere near as all-encompassing as Bush's. In many ways, his title as President is strictly a figure-head role. As the Washington Post reports, however, he takes his role seriously and his election reflects cultural and political differences between Iran and Israel. ...

Ahmadinejad's statements are all over are all over the place. At the same time that Iran defiantly breaks seals restricting access to nuclear facilities, he also says that "Itan does not need nuclear weapons":

He told the assembled media that nuclear arms were only needed by people who "want to solve everything through the use of force".

These comments were strangely ignored by US media outlets. They did, however, appear in Europe.

On the question of nuclear weapons in Iran, it is worthwhile noting, as NASSER KARIMI reports in the Washington Post article:

Since the Islamic revolution, Israel has considered Iran a primary and existential threat. As Tehran's nuclear program has moved forward, the Israelis _ who have nuclear weapons but do not to admit possessing such an arsenal _ have refused to rule out using military force to destroy the Iranian program.

As I noted in previous posting, Israel's approach has been repudiated by the US Army War College. With these recommendations in mind, as well as those above, it is probably best to look somewhat bemused at Ahmadinejad's comments on Israel. He's much a chihuahua that barks loud but in reality has little besides his oddity to take him seriously.

Instead, as I have said in previous postings, the US should court the progressive middle class who see the man as a clown. They should also realize that the more moderate elements within the government are willing to talk and compromise on almost everything.