Green (!) Revolution and reminders of why the American system works.

While I haven't been reading any primary sources about the nascent rebellion amongst Mousavi supporters in Iran, Andrew Sullivan, Justin Gardner at Donklephant and Josh Marshall/TPM have been doing an admirable job following the tweets and reports coming out of Tehran and elsewhere in Iran.

Based upon all that information, it seems something is brewing Iran. Frustration over Ahmadinejad's isolating tendencies and crippling economic policies have boiled over following the purported outcome of the election - the Iranian authorities first having told Mousavi that he was victorious then only to announce that Ahmadinejad had trounced all takers, winning over 63% of votes cast.

People in and from Iran have been twittering allegations of fraud that appear extraordinarily consistent: ballot boxes stolen and burned, government clampdown on media during the final hours of the election, brute violence, et cetera. Now Mousavi's supporters have taken to the streets and are protesting the election, clashing with police and an internal group called Ansar-e Hezbollah. It appears, based on Sullivan's posting of tweets, that Ansar-e Hezbollah has been targeting college and university students and brutally attacking them.

Could you imagine that in the United States?

I can't.

Here's a link to English-language twitter feeds that Sullivan compiled: Following the Revolution in Iran.

Please discuss.

-rl

Ahmadinejad, Mahmood - (n., proper) - Current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran

As I've been perusing the news channels this AM, there's been a clear want for substantial coverage on Ahmadinejad's speech at Columbia University yesterday. Take for example the following banner on MSNBC's Scarborough (blech, to that end) Country: Ahmadinejad gets "schooled" at Columbia.

Nothing really substantive other than all the usual talk machines acting as propagandists against Ahmadinejad and for Bush's drumming up support for another war in his Messianic bid to bring about the end times. Whether we like it or not, Ahmadinejad was able to answer the questions posed to him very well, with maybe the exception of there be no homosexuals in Iran and that his government doesn't torture them and moreover calling homosexuality a fad in Western culture... wait a tic, how can he and Bush be enemies?

Anyhow, Ahmadinejad's performance yesterday proved his ability at being diplomatic, I daresay better than a certain 43rd President, and that he is scarily witty, still hates Israel, and talks willingly of cooperating with the United States, placing the US in the none-too-unfamiliar position of looking like the bad guy. While Bush tries to divert the collective attention of the country away from this, certain media sources have noted Ahmadinejad's playing a hand which almost forces the American hand.

What next?

-rl