Iran President: Israel Is a 'Fake Regime'

[tocqueville]

By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer
44 minutes ago


TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday renewed his criticism of Israel, calling it a "fake regime" that cannot continue to exist.

"Some 60 years have passed since the end of World War II. Why should the people of Germany and Palestine pay now for a war in which the current generation was not involved?" Ahmadinejad said at a news conference.

"We say that this fake regime (Israel) cannot not logically continue to live," he said.

The remarks by the hard-line leader came a day after interim Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert urged the international community to work against Iran's nuclear program, saying Tehran's ambitions threaten not only Israel but all of Western civilization.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060424/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_nuclear_16

[DELUSIONAL]

1. Iran is taking a page from North Korea's book

Talk tough and talk crazy -- and keep the world press interested.

Whatever it takes to stay alive --

[MUAD_DIB]

2. I guess that they have their "decider" as well.

[Redstone]

4. You're absoliutely right. Could that asshole POSSIBLY say anything dumber?

Well, I guess he could. He seems limitless in his buffoonery, just like bushyboy.

Redstone

[bryant69]

3. Here I thought Saddam was a bit reckless

Incidentally one is perfectly entitled to think that this guy is nuts without being brainwashed by Bush or supporting an invasion.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[ladjf]

5. The guy is either totally nuts or he knows something that we don't.

[rman]

8. I sometimes wonder if the Iran regime is in on the neocons' game.

[ladjf]

10. I've tried to figure out how the President of Iran could possibly

by working with Bush. It's hard to make sense out of it. One thing is that the more Bush threatens Iran, the higher the oil price which suits Iran. (Same for Venezuela and other oil producing countries.)

Another very far out possibility is that he is paid billions to start a war and then has some way to go into exile to enjoy his billions.

Another possibility is that he thinks what he is doing is actually a defense against attack.

Or, he knows information about the Bush administration that the administration knows he knows. In other words, high stakes blackmail.

Or, he knows that with NO other Countries to join the U.S., an attack on Iran would be unfeasible.

Or, back to the most likely, he's just bug nuts.

[tocqueville]

12. I think you're right in a certain way

I think he wants deliberately call an attack on Iran by Israel or the US (or both which would be perfect for him) and have a motive to retaliate, counting that his losses will be minimal (or "acceptable"), inflaming the whole ME. He thinks that he can win in the long run, having Iraq as an example. Besides he counts that the inevitable price explosion of the oil will, with the Russian/Chinese support, bring the US to economical collapse. Or maybe he is counting on that will happen BEFORE a strike. If the Chinese slash they dollar reserve in anticipation of a coming crisis, it's adios with the US of A as we know it...

[Oversea Visitor]

6. He knows what he is doing

bush dont.

[ladjf]

11. Could be simply jacking up the price of oil.

And Bush could be doing the same thing. Both aware of what the other is doing. The entire world could be the victims of a simple price rigging scheme.

[Oversea Visitor]

13. Not so simple

He has high ground and he know it.
Only a nutcase will push for this war
Bush is a nutcase, so is he
But the simple fact is that if bush attack Iran
The whole middle east will be in flame
US will lose, these nutcase will just grind US to pieces.

WHY
Look at the present condition
American showing a high hatred to muslim
And I think the muslim has a high hatred to US and Isreal
If war start you be dealing with a very hostile people
they not be fighting for money
Iraq is a sore point here too

US using nuke is MAD mutually assured destruction to use it means US lose at once
The world will punish US in a very bad way

No Iran got all the aces
bush does not know what he is doing
He is talking war and Iran is pushing him for it
Iran has reach the point where their mindset if you really want war come get it.
There is a lot of background player involve

There is a saying in chinese proverb
" Use someone and his knife to kill your enemy "

Problem is Iran dont mind being use.

[cali]

7. This is just playing to

the crowds. The illegitimacy of Israel has wide popular acceptance, not only in Iran but in many other parts of the Islamic world. By focusing on Israel, Ahmadinejad successfully avoids having to focus on the very real problems facing his country- problems the guy is not equiped to handle. In additon, such remarks certainly meet the approval of the Mullahs who really hold the power in Iran.

Having said that, I have a hard time seeing him as a real threat to Israel, Europe, his neighbors or the U.S. The real threat he poses is to the citizens of Iran. I can't help but think that there must be many Iranians who feel about him the way we feel about bush; sort of an oh my god, how did we ever end up with him as president, sentiment.

[magellan]

9. Ah'm Mad has a flair for radical RW confabulation

No wonder he annoys BushCo so -- that's their gig.

[rman]

14. Some background:

Current Iran President Ahmadinejad is conservative, and leaning to wards the more radical religious groups in Iran. He replaced the relatively moderate ("reformist") Khatami, after some dubious electoral maneuvering.

--

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Iran

<snip>

In February, 2003, for the second time local elections had taken place since being introduced in 1999 as part of President Khatami's concept of a civil society at the grassroots level. 905 city councils and 34,205 village councils were up for election. In Tehran and some of the major cities, all of the seats were taken back by conservatives over reformists. This swing was caused by widespread abstention from the local elections. In Tehran only about 10% of the electorate voted, following appeals by reformist groups.

In February 2004 Parliament elections, the Council of Guardians(* banned thousands of candidates, including most of the reformist members of the parliament and all the candidates of the Islamic Iran Participation Front party from running. This led to a win by the conservatives of at least 70% of the seats. Approximately 60% of the elegible voting population participated in the elections.

<snip>

The closed loop of power

According to current election laws, a body of 12 experts called the Guardian Council oversees and approves electoral candidates for most national elections in Iran. The majority of the members of this body are appointed by the Supreme Leader. According to the current law, this council vets also Assembly of Experts candidates, which in turn in supervise and elect the Supreme Leader, which ultimately creates a closed loop of power.

In addition, current elections law requires Assembly of Experts candidates to be religious mujtahids, which greatly narrows the potential field.

Neither of these two laws are mandated by the constitution and are ordinary laws passed by the Parliament or the Assembly of Experts, which therefore can theoretically be reversed. However, despite efforts of many political activists, it has proven to be practically impossible to do so until now.

Many Iranian reformists (including Abdollah Noori) consider this to be the core legal obstacle for a truly democratic system in Iran.

----------

*)The Guardian Council of the Constitution is a high office within the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran which has the authority to interpret the constitution and to determine if the laws passed by the parliament are in line with the constitution of Iran. As such, the Council itself is not a legislative body, but it has veto power over the Iranian parliament. Its members are composed of Islamic clerics and lawyers. In function it is similar to a Constitutional Court.

Six members of the Council are clerics selected by the Supreme Leader, who serves as Iran's Head of State. The other six members are lawyers proposed by Iran's head of judicial branch (selected in turn by the Supreme Leader)...