If only the world were watching when an election was stolen in the United States in 2000.

Mousavi. How much do we actually know about this guy's politics ? The hoopla about this election reminds me of the mindless fixation on democracy at all costs which helped to produce the current leadership in Georgia and Ukraine. In neither case did the people elected in those two countries turn out to be great democrats.

"At the same time, there's nothing in the statement that the regime is likely to use as a cudgel to characterize protestors as tools of the American government."

But the batshit crazy segment of the Republican party will use the statement and be agahst that the President hasn't invaded Iran in defense of democracy.

But it doesn't really matter because no matter what Mr. Obama says or does they are going to take the opposite position

Wow, yet another way that Iranians = Republicans. Of course, this time it's the Iranian governnment. Listening to the whining about how losing elections would = dictatorship, I think fondly about our own big WATBs.

Khamenei added that there would be no new election, and the results of last week's election will not be annulled. He added that to do so would "the beginning of dictatorship." What an interesting choice of words.

Khamenei has backed himself into a corner with his early endorsements of the initial results, because now, while the Presidential election itself is disputed, there is a demand by the opposition that the Guardian Council remove Khamenei as Supreme Leader, appoint a particular member of the Council as interim leader, as convene a constitutional convention. Mousavi, had the election not been stolen, would probably have been no more disruptive than was, say, Khatami, who was certainly a reformer, and who certainly clashed with the Supreme Leader and Guardian Council, but who ultimately worked within the system and who, ultimately, bowed to their will.

But now the situation is more polarized, and Khamenei is the focus more than Ahmadinejad.

Sorry, but it's time for a Flashback Republican Style, to get this weekend off on the right foot.

That statement may walk a fine line, but that's not the way Khamenei is going to hear it, if he ever hears it at all rather than hears someone describe it to him.

They'll be sure outside forces are behind it, or working hard to exploit it.

The way the ruling party surrounding Wilhelm II imagined perfidious Albion was behind every single thing that happened anywhere a hundred years ago.

I'm so proud this guy is our President. He actually has a frickin' clue. And the softer he speaks, the hotter the heat gets turned up on Iran. Iranian leadership is caught in a box. But they won't give up power without a fight. This may well end up getting very, very ugly. The line has been drawn. Will it be crossed?

At the same time, there's nothing in the statement that the regime is likely to use as a cudgel to characterize protesters as tools of the American government. -- Steve Benen

They'll use the utterances of people like McCain and Pence, and now that silly "resolution", instead.

They already *have* complained about US poking its nose where it don't belong, but were very non-specific as to whose positions and what particular statements they were objecting to. I bet that, if pressed, they'd point to all the hawks both in the media and in Congress -- beginning with McCain -- who'd been beating the war drums (and on Obama's ""meekness") from day one. And, if told that those were contrary to the official position... Impossible; it's just Obama having his surrogates to say what he really wants, while keeping a neutral front.

You haven't lived in an authoritarian country; I have. And that's precisely how our government twisted things. It was easier for them, because we didn't have the Twitter and the Internet to refute the spin but the methodology is the same. I could, personally, twist those useless sacks off of McCain and Pence and the like, I'm *that* frustrated on Iranians' behalf...

That statement may walk a fine line, but that's not the way Khamenei is going to hear it, if he ever hears it at all rather than hears someone describe it to him.

The way Khamenei hears it is largely irrelevant, Khamenei is fighting desperately for his position against domestic opposition, his primary concern with foreign comments is going to be how to spin them to reinforce his domestic position.

What matters, really, is how the Iranian people who hear the message take it, and how the members of the Guardian Council that haven't staked themselves to the announced results of the vote take it.

They'll be sure outside forces are behind it, or working hard to exploit it.

Khamenei isn't a "they", he's a "he". And he's already said that the crisis is being stirred up by "evil" Britain (who is an even "better" local enemy than the US), but I don't think anyone that wasn't already backing the regime strongly is buying that.

They'll use the utterances of people like McCain and Pence, and now that silly "resolution", instead.

Sure, they'll grasp at any straws that they can get their hands on, but will it work as propaganda? I don't think so.

They already *have* complained about US poking its nose where it don't belong, but were very non-specific as to whose positions and what particular statements they were objecting to.

That's because when you don't have anything concrete that actually supports your position, you try to be as vague as possible, hoping people will trust you. Of course, as much as people in Iran have reason to be suspicious of the US and the UK based on their historical experience, it doesn't seem like there are a lot of people's whose minds are going to be changed by this kind of vague, biolerplate propaganda.

Now, if they had the President of the United States calling Iran part of an "Axis of Evil" and openly embracing regime change through invasion as a response to regimes so labelled, that would provide more useful propaganda to derail a domestic reform movement. But, certainly, desperate and backed into a corner, Khamenei will grab anything he can.

Washington Note posts an email describing how the Tehran populace is spontaneously organizing against the Basij militia,

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/2009/06/the_four_iran_s/

By the way, two nights ago I went out to see a few things ... as the general crowds spread into their homes militia style Mousavi supporters were out on the streets 'Basiji hunting'.

Their resolve is no less than these thugs -- they after hunting them down. They use their phones, their childhood friends, their intimate knowledge of their districts and neighbours to plan their attacks -- they're organised and they're supported by their community so they have little fear. They create the havoc they're after, ambush the thugs, use their Cocktail Molotovs, disperse and re-assemble elsewhere and then start again - and the door of every house is open to them as safe harbour -- they're community-connected.

The Basiji's are not.

These are not the students in the dorms, they're the street young -- they know the ways better than most thugs - and these young, a surprising number of them girls, are becoming more agile in their ways as each night passes on.

Also, with $10K every local police station lock can be broken and guns taken out...the police too are crowd friendly...for sure put a gun in their hands and these young become a serious counter-balance to the Basij...call them 10% of 18-22 year olds - that makes circa 10 million around the country versus max 4 million Basijis.

For all I've seen, discussed and observed on the ground I wouldn't dismiss option (4) (a second revolution) too easily.

"the beginning of dictatorship"

You might even say that Iran is in danger of becoming a banana republic.

The Iranians are a brave people. I wish them the best possible outcome.

What has changed in the middle east? Obama was elected and suddenly the Iranian mullahs, who had grown in power and influence during the Bush administration, find themselves fighting for their lives and, unlike Bush, Obama refuses to throw them a lifeline. I am beginning to think the new sheriff in town is pretty clever. I am also beginning to wonder which of our traditional adversaries will similarly "self-destruct."

"Khamenei added that there would be no new election, and the results of last week's election will not be annulled."

Khamenei praised the 85 percent voter turnout of about 40 million people, but said that some critics "wanted to indicate that as a doubtful victory; some even wanted to show that this is a national defeat. They wanted to give you bad taste in the mouth."

"Eleven million votes difference? Sometimes there's a margin of 100,000, 200,000, or 1 million maximum. Then one can doubt maybe there has been some rigging or manipulation or irregularities. But there's a difference of 11 million votes. How can vote rigging happen?" he asked.

CNN

As with all social conservatives Khamenei is easily confused about how easily confused people are.

What has changed in the middle east? Obama was elected and suddenly the Iranian mullahs, who had grown in power and influence during the Bush administration, find themselves fighting for their lives and, unlike Bush, Obama refuses to throw them a lifeline.

It might be a mistake to see this as a threat to the "mullahs"; people who are both clerics and current and former high government officers are among the opposition, including Ayatollah Rafsanjani, former President and current head of the Assembly of Experts.

In about four hours it'll be 9 am in Iran.

Just checked, Iran Standard Time is 9.5 hours ahead of US central time.

cmdicely,

"It might be a mistake to see this as a threat to the "mullahs"; people who are both clerics and current and former high government officers are among the opposition, including Ayatollah Rafsanjani, former President and current head of the Assembly of Experts."

No surprise, as it was Rafsanjani that Ahmadinejad beat very badly in the 2005 presidential election by a landslide. Ahmadinejad garnered 61.69% of the vote in the 2005 election, not that different from the 62.6% of the vote the Iranian government stated he garnered in the current election.