Comments on: Every once in a while don’t you think the U.S. had a hand in Tehran uprising so as to demonize Iran? http://mondoweiss.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html The War of Ideas in the Middle East Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:03:10 +0000 hourly 1 By: michelle http://mondoweiss.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html/comment-page-1#comment-101700 michelle Fri, 24 Jul 2009 07:01:00 +0000 http://d1825805.u264.foliopress.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html#comment-101700 RE:But you have to ask yourself why, at a time when Iran faces attacks and even invasion from the US, would any patriotic Iranian leader risk dividing the country by urging his followers into the streets in protesting "election fraud" rather than simply presenting his evidence of election fraud first, seeing what the top leadership does, and taking it from there. Why did he do something this irresponsible? This would be 'Columbo's' first question! RE:But you have to ask yourself why, at a time when Iran faces attacks and even invasion from the US, would any patriotic Iranian leader risk dividing the country by urging his followers into the streets in protesting “election fraud” rather than simply presenting his evidence of election fraud first, seeing what the top leadership does, and taking it from there. Why did he do something this irresponsible?

This would be ‘Columbo’s’ first question!

]]> By: Tenma http://mondoweiss.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html/comment-page-1#comment-101668 Tenma Fri, 24 Jul 2009 03:49:54 +0000 http://d1825805.u264.foliopress.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html#comment-101668 Every once in a while? I thought that from the jump. Iran, whose government we demolished in 1953? Iran, against whom we fought a proxy war via Iraq for much of the 80's? I have no doubt that the CIA did whatever they could to encourage and supply the protests. Every once in a while? I thought that from the jump. Iran, whose government we demolished in 1953? Iran, against whom we fought a proxy war via Iraq for much of the 80′s? I have no doubt that the CIA did whatever they could to encourage and supply the protests.

]]> By: ThorsProvoni http://mondoweiss.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html/comment-page-1#comment-94633 ThorsProvoni Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:31:20 +0000 http://d1825805.u264.foliopress.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html#comment-94633 The twerpo-fascist (Max Boot) and his shaggy dog (John Bolton) speak. They just love to send in the troops to slaughter Muslims. I know that Samantha Power is an intellectual slut, but it was more than I ever expected to see her going gaga over the twerp at Harvard: <a href="http://eaazi.blogspot.com/2007/12/killing-muslims-under-humanitarian.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Killing Muslims Under Humanitarian Cover</a>. The twerpo-fascist (Max Boot) and his shaggy dog (John Bolton) speak. They just love to send in the troops to slaughter Muslims. I know that Samantha Power is an intellectual slut, but it was more than I ever expected to see her going gaga over the twerp at Harvard: Killing Muslims Under Humanitarian Cover.

]]> By: RichardWitty http://mondoweiss.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html/comment-page-1#comment-94632 RichardWitty Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:24:54 +0000 http://d1825805.u264.foliopress.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html#comment-94632 To arrest them, force them to declare confessions publicly. I know you like to talk about international law. Look that one up. To arrest them, force them to declare confessions publicly. I know you like to talk about international law. Look that one up.

]]> By: RichardWitty http://mondoweiss.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html/comment-page-1#comment-94631 RichardWitty Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:24:04 +0000 http://d1825805.u264.foliopress.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html#comment-94631 And the 500,000 in the streets for a week? It is scapegoating. If Iran distrusted diplomats, they would be expelled, and that would be a big enough diplomatic fiasco for them. To arrest diplomats is a VERY bad precedent for them to undertake. It is an invitation to escalation. If you think that is rationalizable as "just", then you live in a very different world. And the 500,000 in the streets for a week? It is scapegoating. If Iran distrusted diplomats, they would be expelled, and that would be a big enough diplomatic fiasco for them. To arrest diplomats is a VERY bad precedent for them to undertake. It is an invitation to escalation. If you think that is rationalizable as "just", then you live in a very different world.

]]> By: Citizen http://mondoweiss.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html/comment-page-1#comment-94650 Citizen Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:53:45 +0000 http://d1825805.u264.foliopress.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html#comment-94650 I tend to agree with Marion; there's that 400 million, US history of such antics, and Britain's, and that immense amount of MSM coverage--we bombed Iraq to stop WMD, err--to help the Iraq people yearning for freedom from tyranny--and now we have the yearning of the Iranian people to be freed from their tyranny regime plastered all over TVs--did we have that in 2005 when Egypt clamped down on its yearners? I tend to agree with Marion; there's that 400 million, US history of such antics, and Britain's, and that immense amount of MSM coverage–we bombed Iraq to stop WMD, err–to help the Iraq people yearning for freedom from tyranny–and now we have the yearning of the Iranian people to be freed from their tyranny regime plastered all over TVs–did we have that in 2005 when Egypt clamped down on its yearners?

]]> By: Marion http://mondoweiss.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html/comment-page-1#comment-94648 Marion Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:43:59 +0000 http://d1825805.u264.foliopress.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html#comment-94648 What evidence Craig? So you consider what has been presented thus far to be evidence? What evidence Craig? So you consider what has been presented thus far to be evidence?

]]> By: Arash http://mondoweiss.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html/comment-page-1#comment-94641 Arash Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:06:58 +0000 http://d1825805.u264.foliopress.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html#comment-94641 Sean, it's nothing like the Mossadeq affair. Because back then you had a pro-Mossadeq front fall apart essentially in days because of US black ops and money given to people like Ayatollah Kashani, who suddenly switched sides and splintered the front. That, and back then, there were social phenomena like Shaban Jafari's lutis which could be counted on to provide armed manpower for any riot, which is a phenomena that just does not exist in Iran anymore. The problem now is, it's not just "a particular leader" or two that are screaming election fraud. It is every single reformist or moderate leader that has every been relevant in Iranian politicss. Many of these people had been in jail during the Shah, participated in the 1979 revolution personally -- they don't have warm feelings about the U.S. Is it possible that one, or maybe even two of them, got a call from someone in the U.S. saying God knows what? Maybe, but not every single one of them. Mousavi actually was complaining about electoral irregularities on the day of the vote -- it was not widely reported in American press -- but there was already ample evidence of government wrongdoing. And this, coupled with an attack on Mousavi's campaign HQ, the highly irregular early release of voting returns, and a (repeatedly confirmed) phone call from the Ministry to Mousavi's staff telling them that early returns suggested a Mousavi victory -- was more than enough evidence for Mousavi to call the thing into question. And knowing the IRI system, he had to do it early, before the inevitable crackdown. The funny thing is, my father -- who is a scholar who knows Iran politics better than anyone I know -- has been convinced for years that only one person in Iran is on the CIA payroll: Ali Khamenei. Because his actions, since 1980, have served US interests in keeping Iran, simultaneously, an externally threatening but internally weak regional bogeyman. Of course I disagree with this, I think Khamenei has plenty of his own personal reason for being stupid, but it's a perspective some of you should consider. Sean, it's nothing like the Mossadeq affair. Because back then you had a pro-Mossadeq front fall apart essentially in days because of US black ops and money given to people like Ayatollah Kashani, who suddenly switched sides and splintered the front. That, and back then, there were social phenomena like Shaban Jafari's lutis which could be counted on to provide armed manpower for any riot, which is a phenomena that just does not exist in Iran anymore. The problem now is, it's not just "a particular leader" or two that are screaming election fraud. It is every single reformist or moderate leader that has every been relevant in Iranian politicss. Many of these people had been in jail during the Shah, participated in the 1979 revolution personally — they don't have warm feelings about the U.S. Is it possible that one, or maybe even two of them, got a call from someone in the U.S. saying God knows what? Maybe, but not every single one of them. Mousavi actually was complaining about electoral irregularities on the day of the vote — it was not widely reported in American press — but there was already ample evidence of government wrongdoing. And this, coupled with an attack on Mousavi's campaign HQ, the highly irregular early release of voting returns, and a (repeatedly confirmed) phone call from the Ministry to Mousavi's staff telling them that early returns suggested a Mousavi victory — was more than enough evidence for Mousavi to call the thing into question. And knowing the IRI system, he had to do it early, before the inevitable crackdown. The funny thing is, my father — who is a scholar who knows Iran politics better than anyone I know — has been convinced for years that only one person in Iran is on the CIA payroll: Ali Khamenei. Because his actions, since 1980, have served US interests in keeping Iran, simultaneously, an externally threatening but internally weak regional bogeyman. Of course I disagree with this, I think Khamenei has plenty of his own personal reason for being stupid, but it's a perspective some of you should consider.

]]> By: Craig11 http://mondoweiss.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html/comment-page-1#comment-94647 Craig11 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:06:31 +0000 http://d1825805.u264.foliopress.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html#comment-94647 Your refusal to open your eyes to the evidence of election fraud does not mean the evidence does not exist. It just means you're being intentionally obtuse. Your refusal to open your eyes to the evidence of election fraud does not mean the evidence does not exist. It just means you're being intentionally obtuse.

]]> By: Marion http://mondoweiss.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html/comment-page-1#comment-94649 Marion Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:43:51 +0000 http://d1825805.u264.foliopress.net/2009/07/surprise-max-boot-at-commentary-wants-israel-to-bomb-iran-now-so-does-john-bolton-at-the-fever-ward-the-washington-post-op.html#comment-94649 So after what just unfolded in Iran, in which the British and West were clearly supporting through our media and beyond, you think that because the Iranian government wants to put some British embassy employees on trial, that they suspect had helped to foment the unrest on the streets where twenty Iranians(including 8 Basij by gunfire) were killed, not to mention the British government has a history of helping to overthrow one of their governments in 1953, means that they are dangerously desperate to provoke a confrontation with the west? I would say based on all of the evidence (including the 400 million covert operations funds) that the West has desperately been trying to provoke a confrontation with Iran, and NOT vice versa as you just claimed Richard.... So after what just unfolded in Iran, in which the British and West were clearly supporting through our media and beyond, you think that because the Iranian government wants to put some British embassy employees on trial, that they suspect had helped to foment the unrest on the streets where twenty Iranians(including 8 Basij by gunfire) were killed, not to mention the British government has a history of helping to overthrow one of their governments in 1953, means that they are dangerously desperate to provoke a confrontation with the west? I would say based on all of the evidence (including the 400 million covert operations funds) that the West has desperately been trying to provoke a confrontation with Iran, and NOT vice versa as you just claimed Richard….

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