Supreme Jurisprudent Ali Khamenei gloated Saturday that the Iranian public had “humiliated” Bush by electing hard liner Mahmud Ahmadinejad as president,” writes Juan Cole this morning.
Ridiculing “Space Cadet” Michael Ledeen‘s poor abilities as a Middle East expert, Cole contends that “the campaigning style of the two men” suggests “in some ways they are soul mates” and that Ahmadinejad won “in some part” by “using the same electoral tools as George W. Bush and Karl Rove.”
Cole lists, and explains in detail, each of the Rovian tactics that he alleges Ahmadinejad used:
- Smear Tactics
- False Consciousness
- Posing as a Critic of the Government You Run
- Benefitting from Dominance of the Judiciary
- Religious Congregations and the Military
Most devastatingly, Cole charges Michael Ledeen with spreading false propaganda that is killing our U.S. troops:
The news is full of stories on Iran: BBC: “Iran to Maintain Nuclear Policy”; Seattle Times: “Iranian Vote Turns Up the Heat on U.S.”; NYTimes: “Victory by Hard-Liner in Iran Could Widen Rift with U.S.,” and on and on. Cole links to the Boston Globe story.
