Why worry about Iran?

Because, as Cliff May reminds us today, its leaders have said things in the not-too-distant past that merit concern:

"Is it not possible that Iran, should it acquire nuclear weapons, would follow the precedent established by al-Qaeda and attack the “Great Satan” first — leaving the “Little Satan” for later?Ahmadinejad’s genocidal threats against Israel have been well-publicized. But from time to time he also likes to remind his followers that “a world without America . . . is attainable.”Hassan Abbassi, another senior Iranian official, has outlined how that goal might be reached. “We have a strategy drawn up for the destruction of Anglo-Saxon civilization and for the uprooting of the Americans and the English,” he has said. “The global infidel front is a front against Allah and the Muslims, and we must make use of everything we have at hand to strike at this front, by means of our suicide operations and by means of our missiles.”In recent days, Iran’s military has been testing those missiles, launching them from ships in the Caspian Sea. Could they be developing the skills needed to target an American city?"

This is why Barack Obama's past statements, suggesting we should talk with Iran with no preconditions--a terrible sign of weakness--are so worrying.

A dangerous nut

Iran's Ahmadinejad:

"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday accused the United States of plotting to kidnap and assassinate him during a visit to Iraq, state media reported. The president told a meeting of clerics in the central city of Qom that Iran's "enemies" planned to kill him when he went to Baghdad in March, according to the president's Web site. Iranian leaders usually use the term "enemies" to refer to Western nations and the United States in particular."

So he's not only a Holocaust-denier, he's a paranoiac.
That not only makes him nutty, it also makes him dangerous. Nutty leaders are the ones willing to do dangerous, irrational things.

So therefore, this show of strength came at a good time:

"Israel carried out a major military exercise earlier this month that American officials say appeared to be a rehearsal for a potential bombing attack on Iran's nuclear facilities."

Gee, you sound just like...

Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, today, on the occasion of Israel's 60th birthday:

"While world leaders sent the Jewish state congratulations on its 60th anniversary, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's birthday wish was that the “Zionist regime” be annihilated, according to the Agence France-Presse. "Those who think they can revive the stinking corpse of the usurping and fake Israeli regime by throwing a birthday party are seriously mistaken," Ahmadinejad told the official IRNA news agency. He went on to compare Israel to a “dead rat after being slapped by the Lebanese,” making reference to a 2006 war between the Jewish state and Hezbollah..."

His rhetoric is much like Adolf Hitler's back when he was attacking the Jews.
And the world ought to take it seriously.

Guess who denied one of the most well-documented historical events ever...again

Yes, it was our friend, the leader of Iran, Ahmadinejad--again. How indeed can we seek to do business with this guy? Here's what he said:

"After World War II, they invented the so-called 'genocide of the Jews.' Throughout Europe, and in countries under the control of the Western superpowers, they established an anti-Jewish movement. By means of propaganda and a certain psychological atmosphere, and by using the issue of the so-called 'crematoria,' they created the sense that the European Jews were oppressed. They used the pretext that some Jews were oppressed and were harmed during World War II and by the wave of anti-Judaism in order to lay the foundations for the establishment of the Zionist regime. Later, of course, they called it 'the massacre of the Jews,' and only after World War II did they call it 'the Holocaust.' They made this issue more sacred than all the sacred things in the world."[...]
"You Have Turned This Phenomenon... Which You Yourself Invented After The War, And Which You Began Calling 'Holocaust' Only In 1975 - Into Something So Sacred...?"

"Give them the same right"

Hmmm, encouraging--an anti-Ahmadinejad demonstration today in Iran.
A protester: "you called for a referendum of the Palestinian people. You must give the Iranian people the same right."

Amen.

Now who's being rude?

You know, in the 1930s, before World War II, Nazis in Germany used to talk about, not killing Jews in Germany--oh, no--but of relocating them. To the island of Madagascar, for example.
I mention that because today Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad once again did his modernate-Nazi impression: "Millions of Iranians once again held annual International Qods Day rallies on Friday, with a call by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for Israel to be relocated, away the Middle East and the Islamic world. "Canada and Alaska have vast lands, why don't you relocate them (Israel) over there and keep helping them over there with (aid of) 30 to 40 billion dollars per year for building a new existence over there," President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a speech."

And some people claimed that Americans were rude to this guy?

More Ahmadinejad fallout

Much of the talk today is about the strong words directed at friend Mahmoud by Columbia University president Lee Bollinger: "Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator."

Good. But here's the thing: what really did we, or Columbia, get out of Ahmadinejad's freedom to speak? Well, Mahmoud busily questioned the Holocaust ("if" it happened), suggested that research into it has been somehow stifled (an even worse lie than his first statement), proffered the notion that there are no gays in Iran, and at best the previous is either yet another lie, or is the result of heavy-handed repression/gay-cleansing, Iranian-style. Wonderful! So glad we got to hear all that.

Oh, you say, but it gave Ahmadinejad a chance to destroy himself with such silly speech. It opened our eyes. Yes--and if that was truly the reason why the pooh-bahs at Columbia chose to allow this Islamofascist thug a platform from which to speak, great. But you and I both know that wasn't why they did it. They did it because they think any rabble-rousing terrorist has a "right" to speak, even though Columbia is a private entity and in fact need not allow anyone to speak (it's not a government bound to enforce the 1st Amendment). Even though we are not bound to allow someone seeking to sponsor and fund those killing American soldiers the right to speak. Columbia allowed this guy to speak because its leaders, and many others in this country, have bound themselves to a fundamentally mistaken, illogical, and ideological brand of "free speech." And it's very sad.

Ahmadinejad flunks history

So Iranian strongman Ahmadinejad is here in this country.
Speaking to the National Press Club today, he said: "...if the Holocaust is a reality, why don't we let more research be done on it?"
Hello? Anybody home? Apparently the Iranian leader has missed the literally hundreds of historical works and first-person memoirs that are now part of what we call Holocaust Studies, from Daniel Goldhagen to Elie wiesel to Primo Levi and on and on and on. The Holocaust is one of the most well-documented historical events of all time. "If" it happened? Give us a break.
I suppose it is however a good thing that this anti-Semitic moron is being allowed to speak freely. We can all see for ourselves what racist stupidity looks like.