Meanwhile, I wonder if his heart problems have affected his brain, because Slick has made some truly astounding statements lately, even allowing they’re coming from the man who quibbled over the meaning of “is.” Once you’re sitting down, have a look at this article in the Arab News, which bills itself as the Middle East’s "leading English language daily." Among other things, the Arab News story says, Mr. Clinton had the following to say at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos:
Iran today is, in a sense, the only country where progressive ideas enjoy a vast constituency. It is there that the ideas that I subscribe to are defended by a majority.
…Iran is… the only country in the world that has now had six elections since the first election of President Khatami (in 1997). [It is] the only one with elections, including the United States, including Israel, including you name it, where the liberals, or the progressives, have won two-thirds to 70 percent of the vote in six elections: Two for president; two for the Parliament, the Majlis; two for the mayoralties.
In every single election, the guys I identify with got two-thirds to 70 percent of the vote. There is no other country in the world I can say that about, certainly not my own.
Iran is a whole different kettle of fish, but it’s a sad story that really began in the 1950s when the United States deposed Mr. [Mohammed] Mossadegh, [Prime Minister of Iran, appointed by the Shah he tried to overthrow] who was an elected parliamentary democrat and brought the Shah back in [Rose says CIA in the background]… and then he [the Shah] was overturned by the Ayatollah Khomeni, driving us into the arms of one Saddam Hussein.
Most of the terrible things Saddam Hussein did in the 1980s he did with the full knowing support of the United States government, because he [Saddam or Khomeini ?] was in Iran, and Iran was what it was, because we got rid of the parliamentary democracy back in the fifties. At least that’s my belief. I know it’s not popular for an American to ever say anything like this but I think it’s true. (The audience applauds at that moment.)
And I apologized when President Khatami was elected, I publicly acknowledged that the United States had actively overthrown Mossadegh and I apologized for it. And I hope that we could have some rapproachment with Iran.”
Honest, I'm not making this stuff up. I put in some paragraphing to make it more readable, and inserted some of the material in brackets, but the words are Clinton's. Don't believe me ? Hunt up the transcript, a link to which can be found here. Also, check out Little Green Footballs' commentary on this subject. Incidentally, LGF is a great blog.
Sounds like Slick needs to stop visiting Davos, and jetting to Tsunami sites, and get back across the ocean and back on to American chow. Iran is “progressive ?” Say what ? So progressive that President Khatami, as the Arab News pointed out, called on the whole world to convert to Islam. Yeah, the progressive Mullah government, for which Khatami is the front man, who have morality police who rough up women for wearing western clothing, who send money to Hezbollah so they can blow up Israeli embassies; which places a price on the head of “apostate” authors (Salman Rushdie).
Get that bit about Saddam Hussein: "[m]ost of the terrible things...[he] did with the full knowing support of the United States government." That's either utterly outrageous or beyond stupid. Either Mr. Clinton is naive, and confusing military support for Iraq's efforts against Khomeini's Iran -- given on the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" principle -- with blanket support for Saddam's atrocities; or he's deliberately for political purposes promoting a false view of US Iraqi policy in the 1980's.
Almost as sick is Slick’s presumption in “apologizing” for American policy towards Iran in the 1950’s. Like a good leftie talking about Iran, Slick makes the obligatory salaam towards Mohammed Mossadegh. In leftist hagiography, the sainted Mossadegh was establishing a regime of truth, peace and enlightenment in Iran until he was unfortunately overthrown by the occult and sinister forces of the CIA and the US oil lobby – all of which led to the present dictatorship of the wacko mullah regime.
Reality, of course, bears only coincidental resemblance to this picture – yes, the CIA helped overthrow Mossadegh, but (much like the overthrow of Allende in Chile) the coup was widely popular in Iran. The restoration of the Shah was only possible because the would-be Nasser was widely unpopular after rigging elections, dissolving Parliament, wrecking the economy and chasing out the Shah. The advent of the ayatollahs has more to do with economic problems suffered by Iran in the 70’s than the demise of Mossadegh. But like Allende, Mossadegh, by being overthrown by forces friendly to the US, became a left-wing saint who Slick, being a good leftie, invokes when speaking of Iran.
The quality of President Clinton’s education, thought and reflections on Iran and the world generally is quite apparent in the Charlie Rose interview. I have never, ever liked, supported or had any use for President Clinton, but it is revolting to see an American politician, who was formerly the head of state, parade his ignorance in front of the whole world.
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