Sunday, June 21, 2009
Update: Action And Reaction In Iran
According to my sources, things are somewhat quiet in Tehran today, although there are still sporadic outbreaks. Protests in other areas outside Tehran and the cooperation or non-interference of the security forces, the two indicators I suggested you watch for signs of a more wide spread effort against the regime have not materialized so far.
The regime required doctors and hospitals to report all protest-related injuries to the authorities, and the hospitals are reporting on at least 19 dead. I personally would be surprised if the actual number didn't have a zero after it.There are reliable reports that the Pasdaran and the basijused automatic weapons on the crowds. Most of the wounded can expect to be arrested and treated fairly harshly.
In all fairness, had Mousavi and his patron, ex-President HashemiRafsanjani prevailed, their retaliation against allies of Ahmadinejad andKhamenei would have undoubtedly been just as harsh. While some of the protesters might be pro-democracy, Mousavi is not and he proved it during the 1979 Iranian revolution and during his subsequent term as Prime Minister, when he was Ayatollah Khomeni's right hand man in repressing the Iranian people.
Revolutions in Iran have an unfortunate history of being co-opted. Ask any Iranian now residing in the West who backed the Shah's ouster and then escaped abroad once the regime made its true nature known.
In a related development, the regime arrested arrested the daughter and four other relatives of Rafasjani, the axis of the attempted overthrow of Ayatollah Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This can be taken as a thinly veiled and very traditional Iranian signal to Rafasjanithat as rich and powerful as he is, he's not untouchable.
It also must have resonated with Mousavi. Earlier, in true Shi'ite fashion, he was proclaiming his willingness to be martyred. Now that he sees which way the wind is blowing, things have changed:
"Mousavi has never said this," his close ally, QorbanBehzadiannejad, told the AP. Mousavi's Web site also said statements that Mousavi was preparing for death were inaccurate.
No, martyrdom is for the little people. Mousavi and his stylish wife are no doubt on their way to a well funded exile ala' Banisadr, as I predicted before.
Even if Iran's genuinely fascist, clerical regime isn't going to be overthrown, the whole sorry mess has had some value in that it's true character has been shown to the world. Even the UN and the Clintons will find it difficult to make excuses for them...Congress Democrats Dodge Ban On Lobbyist Cash
Yes, the Most Ethical Congress Evah...President Barack Obama’s strict ban on lobbyist contributions will limit the haul from Thursday night’s fundraising dinner for congressional Democrats, but organizers have found a way around it: a morning-after event at the same hotel where lobbyists — and their money — will be welcomed with open arms.
Invitations for the $5,000-per-person Issues Conference don’t say it’s an effort to skirt Obama’s lobbying ban, but they walk right up to the edge.
“Please note that the Friday Issues Conference is NOT subject to lobbyist restrictions, though the event is intended for personal contributions only,”a finance official from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee wrote in an e-mail sent to lobbyists Tuesday and obtained by POLITICO, bolding the entire sentence to underscore the clarification. “The Issues Conference is separate from the DSCC/DCCC events with President Obama.”
One prominent Democratic lobbyist unhappy with the situation described it vividly: “It’s almost like the ugly girl that you want to call late at night — but don’t want to be seen with on a date.”
Yeah, Squeezle...just make sure you write 'personal' in big letters on the check. Don't worry, we'll know who it's really from..
Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and other Democrat stalwarts will be attending to make sure everyone makes their proper contribution.Think of it as a Mafia wedding, with the cash gifts that go into the bride and groom's money bag carefully calculated as a sign of respect and the basis of future business.
Sunday, 21 June 2009
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