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Why yes, there is some ill-informed commentary on Iran
The first two paragraphs of "Will Iran be President Obama's Iraq?" by Flynt Leverett, Hillary Mann Leverett, and Seyed Mohammad Morandi:
Although bloody images continue to be replayed on American television, the protests that broke out in Tehran following Iran’s presidential election on June 12 are, predictably, dwindling. They are fading because further demonstrations would no longer be about alleged election irregularities but, rather, would be a challenge to the Islamic Republic itself — something only a small minority of the initial protesters support.
While the protests are subsiding, days of round-the-clock, ill-informed commentary in the United States have helped to “sell” several dangerously misleading myths about Iranian politics. Left unchallenged, these myths will inexorably drive America’s Iran policy toward “regime change” — just as unchallenged myths about Saddam Hussein’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and ties to Al Qaeda paved the way for America’s invasion of Iraq in 2003.
The Leverett's certainly provide one possible reason for the dwindling number of protestors.
But... um... how to put this... could another reason be the fact that, last week, the police and Basij did little to interfere with the daylight protests, whereas this week the organs of the Iranian state have made it clear that they are prepared to kick the ever-living s**t out of demonstrators?
As Andrew Sullivan points out, the degree to which the Leveretts seem genuinely giddy about Ahmadinejad staying in power is bordering on the bizarre.






Most Commentary About Iran...
...in this country is not really about Iran. Some of it is about Obama and the impressions produced by the Cairo speech, or the contrast with his predecessor, or both. Some of it starts by mentioning Iran, but ends up covering familiar ground about Israel and the Palestinians. A little bit of it, like the Leveretts', is defensive punditry directed at protecting the pundit from the charge that the last two week's events disproved anything he or she previously said.
It's small wonder, considering the limited contact America has had with Iranian government and society for the last three decades. I wonder whether the absence of entrenched points of view about Iranian politics might give the Obama administration unexpected flexibility in choosing a course of action in this area.
Thank's Dan for clarifying
Thank's Dan for clarifying this. Thankfully, there has been a lot of coverage of the strange take on the left, on Ahmedi-nejad. It's explained with the old adage "the enemy of my enemy is a friend". It works for Ahmedi-nejad (North Korea, Venezuela Islamic?), it works for the American left (less for the Right).
It's based on America-bashing. Because Political Corectness applies only to everyone except Christians, America, and American white males. You can spit on these if you like, and no one will care. I am not necessarily sympathizing with them (being a Jew), but I can state the obvious.
So yes, let the Leverette's hate America - it's the last remnant of freedom left in this country. Irony.