Word: ahmadinejad
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Doubtless much of the sound and fury was routine. As soon as it became known that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had canceled a scheduled appearance, about half the crowd left. And in fact, many Iranians favor better relations with the U.S.--I met countless Iranians eager for more than just talk. "The walls should be torn down--from both sides!" a rank-and-file government supporter blurted out to me after the rally...
...rhetoric of demonstrations in Tehran is worth listening to. Seven years after Bush's "Axis of Evil" speech, power is consolidated in the hands of hard-line anti-American conservatives, led by Ahmadinejad and supported by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatullah Ali Khamenei. Together they have used the Bush Administration's opposition as an opportunity to crack down on reformists. Ahmadinejad initially greeted Obama's victory with a rare congratulatory letter, though his ardor then seemed to cool as he called on the U.S. to "halt your support to the uncultivated and rootless, forged, phony, killers-of-women-and-children Zionists...
...future of American-Iranian relations isn't up to Ahmadinejad alone, of course. Power in Iran is exercised by the elected presidency and parliament but overseen by less transparent clerical authorities headed by Khamenei. And with oil prices tumbling and the economy in poor shape, Ahmadinejad may face stiff competition in presidential elections this year. Yet even if more moderate politicians like former President Mohammed Khatami come to power, anti-Americanism is so much a part of public life in Iran that the question remains: Is détente with the U.S. compatible with the legacy of the Islamic revolution...
...President Bush may be history in the West, but the Iranians are keeping him alive as a whipping boy for anti-American hostility. He was the favorite effigy of the parade, and President Ahmadinejad called for Bush and his government to be charged and prosecuted for "the millions killed and displaced in the region...
...rally ended abruptly, shortly after Ahmadinejad's speech. Ramadan Shallah, leader of the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, mounted the podium and thanked the Islamic Republic for its support of the Palestinians, then left the stage. Ahmadinejad boarded an army helicopter, waving down from its window. Other helicopters flew overhead and showered the crowds with glitter-confetti, and people began streaming away from Freedom Square. The revolution was now officially 30 years...