Iran Election Rigged in Favor of Ahmadinejad

I can't say that I didn't expect this result. I expected it all along. But I didn't think they would do it so brazenly... ("Ahmadinejad Wins in Landslide"). Oh Please! With roughly 70% of the Iranian population being under the age of 30 and with young voters supporting the opponent Mousavi 2-1...sometimes 3-1... the results are pretty much a joke.

The danger of all this is that it creates the atmosphere for another major military conflict in the Middle East...at a time when the U.S. has its hands full playing Global Cop in other parts of the region. Not to mention the lunacy taking place with North Korea (partly the fault of U.S. policy). The phony election results in Iran will be used by the Mad Man of the Middle East, Benjamin Netanyahu, as an excuse to launch attacks on Iranian nuclear sites (attacks which won't knock out all of Iran's nuclear research and storage facilities). The chance of a military confrontation is an almost certainty at this point.... unless Obama can reach some sort of an agreement with Iran or unless Iran reaches a deal with the IAEA that satisfies the U.S., Israel and the UN Security Council. But this isn't likely. Israel will always be an obstacle to peace when it comes to Iran. Today, Netanyahu will give a so-called "Peace" policy speech (a "Peace" speech is an oxymoron if you're talking about Israel's foreign policy). There is nothing peaceful about Netanyahu's speech or about his intentions regarding foreign policy. Netanyahu is hoping to draw the U.S. into another conflict, so that he can use American blood to do his bidding. He sees Obama as a lightweight whom he can run over. The tail is definitely wagging the dog.

There's also the problem of Iran being a client State of Russia which is also a corrupt dictatorship. The Russians and the Chinese aren't likely to agree to any touch sanctions against Iran, meaning that an amicable solution is not likely to be reached via UN sanctions....because that tool probably isn't going to be available. Even if cosmetic sanctions were to be imposed... Russia, China and other nations friendly to Iran wouldn't honor their UN obligations. All of this raises the risk of military conflict.

New Documentary - Showdown With Iran

See a new documentary from PBS, entitled "Showdown With Iran". The program goes beyond the neocon rhetoric and delves into the issues on both sides that are getting in the way of improved relations. Watch the full program online (6 parts).

Meanwhile, the Bush Administration continues to beat the war drums. The media blitz has already begun. There seems to be a clear effort to frighten the Country, and to get us ready for yet another war. This was the same M.O. used before the attack on Iraq. I'm starting to notice the same kind of reporting and the same language that was used regarding Iraq and its so-called Weapons of Mass Destruction.

However, the reality of the situation may not be what Bush & Co. would like Americans to believe. There is no clear evidence pointing to any effort by Iran to weaponize any nuclear materials. And under international law....under the NPT agreement, Iran has the right to use nuclear material for peaceful purposes.

The following is TPM video regarding the medias effort to push the Bush agenda on Iran. The IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei is mixed with comments from pro-war Conservative wing nuts.