Right-Wing Neocons Rooting For Ahmadinejad Win

American neoconservatives have often used the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to bolster their case for aggressive action against Iran. So the assumption might be that they would be rooting for Iranians to take care of the problem themselves by electing reformer Mir Hossein Mousavi in today's vote..

Instead, they're rooting for the anti-American bogeyman to stay in power.

Middle East Forum Director Daniel Pipes said in a speech at the Heritage Foundation that he would vote for Ahmadinejad if he could:

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American Enterprise Institute's Michael Rubin suggested to National Review's Kathryn Jean Lopez it might be better for Ahmadinejad to win, because a loss might give Obama the impression that diplomacy was working.

LOPEZ: Should we want Ahmadinejad to lose the election this weekend?

RUBIN: The Obama administration tends to conflate advocacy with analysis. They see in the Islamic Republic what they want to see, not what the Iranian leadership's intentions really are. As such, should someone more soft-spoken and less defiant -- someone like former prime
minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi -- win, it would be easier for Obama to believe that Iran really was figuratively unclenching a fist when, in fact, it had it had its other hand hidden under its cloak, grasping a dagger. What Ahmadinjead did was to expose the ideology of the power
holders in Iran for what it actually is. Holocaust denial, for example, is nothing new to the Islamic Republic. Both Rafsanjani and Khatami also encourage it. Ahmadinejad's bluntness, however, forced even the Europeans to react.

[Ed. note: Michael Rubin insisted via email that he was not rooting for Ahmadinejad to win. The quote and link to the interview is above. You can judge for yourself.]

Other neocons, worried a shift in power will signal a fresh start relations with Iran, are already deflating a Mousavi win. The same pundits who constantly point out Ahmadinejad's Holocaust denial, anti-Semitism, and nuclear ambitions as reasons to confront Iran now argue that the president doesn't matter. Martin Peretz wrote at the New Republic, "We've known for a long time that elected leaders do not carry the weight of those who have been anointed." Ilan Berman seconded at the American Spectator, "Whoever ends up becoming president will have little real power -- and even less influence over Iran's geostrategic direction."

In fact, Mousavi does disagree with Ahmadinejad on a key policy point. Unlike the current president, he would back nuclear talks with Iran and United Nations Security Council members.

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Comments

[ApolloSpeaks]

12:31 PM on 06/14/2009

KHAMEINE'S CONTEMPT FOR OBAMA. ISRAEL PREPARES FOR WAR

The Ayatollah Khameine's backing of Ahmadenija­d in the election shows his contempt for Barack Obama and that he wants to maintain Iran's radical image in the world fearing nothing more from our gutless leader than a new round of useless sanctions. Damn Iran's economic woes, Ahmadenija­d is helping his genocidal regime turn into the nuclear hegemon of the Middle East which will boost their geopolitic­al leverage sky high. Why change a good thing when the consequenc­es are so feeble; why moderate or even give its appearance when aggression and terror are working. On the other hand, the virtue of Ahman continuing in power is that no one will be misled into believing that the regime is moderating its evil ambitions and aims. Iran remains a revolution­ary power fanaticall­y bent on the destructio­n of Israel, the US and democracy everywhere and bringing the oil rich Persian Gulf under its sway. The mullahs are in a triumphal mood; the weakling Obama is a blessing from Allah, a gift for growing their menacing power. As this phony election has eliminated all possibilit­y of reform only the delusional will hopelessly hope for beneficial change while Israel justifiabl­y prepares for war.

[swift goat pet for truth]

10:36 AM on 06/14/2009

Neocons take a fixed election.

Hmm... why does that sound familiar?

[AbeMartin]

10:18 AM on 06/14/2009

Of course they are rooting for Ahmadineja­d. These are the same chicken hawks that cooked up the strategy to get the country into the quagmire in Iraq. Go through the bios of these brave, brave chickenhaw­ks. Not a veteran among them. But so very, very bellicose when it comes to sending others' children into harm's way, or urging the preemptive first strike against men, women and children of other countries.

[lagumbo]

10:10 AM on 06/14/2009

The neo-cons are a bunch of sick bastards. They will next be rooting for Bin Laden, anything they think wil go against OUR PRESIDENT. Republican Kirk went to China and told the Chinese that United States had no way of paying them back and to stop loaning America money. Isn't that something. A congressma­n, someone who is so against the thought of a blackman running this country, would try to
pull the rug completely from under the U S just because we elected PRESIDENT OBAMA. This man should be brought in front of a firing squad and shot in the public square. This is what OUR PRESIDENT is going up against. The GOP the party of MONEY BEFORE COUNTRY. The paty of BETRAYING THE COUNTRY TO GAIN POWER. THE PARTY OF TREASON.

[onepotatotwopotato]

05:45 AM on 06/14/2009

Maybe, just maybe, the Iranians aren't all such big Obamamania­cs after all.

[seachild]

08:41 AM on 06/14/2009

considerin­g the uproar, looks like they are...part­icularly the young ones...hum­mmm...soun­ds familiar

[aeuropeanvoice]

03:32 AM on 06/14/2009

This should come as no surprise at all and is consistent with the efforts of the neocons to create a menace for America ever since the cold war stopped being a convenient excuse for spending incredible amounts of money on weaponry.E­isenhower saw the military industrial complex as a major threat nhe certainly understood the problem well .It is in the interest of the armament lobby to create enemies to keep the production lines thriving .never forget that the military spending only increased after the collapse of the Soviet Union.I.To­o bad as spending on weapons is throwing away money.The things produced hold no consumer value,they do not in any way improve on your living conditions­,they simply have no use at all in improving anybody's living standards after being produced.

[kingbtd]

02:39 AM on 06/14/2009

The neocon truly terrifies me - and there are many American's who belong to this delusional group of people. They all seem to be convinced that people everywhere in the world are bent on destroying America. Which translate into any country seeking real autonomy, economic and social, must be anti-Ameri­can... it's a weird perception­. Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, (oddly enough these fruity Americans don't truly consider N. Korea to belong to this club... ever wonder why?) even if they combined all of their technology and weaponry together and multiplied it by a thousand they wouldn't pose any threat to American control over the world - unless autonomy and freedom are like a disease. But then again, I guess capitalism doesn't work unless the only 'real' freedom that should exist is the freedom to choose between McDonald's and Burger King, Pepsi and Coke and Adidas or Nike.

[GGMarks]

06:38 PM on 06/14/2009

We are inundated -- from all sides -- and seemingly all religions and ethnicitie­s....

when in reality...­. the people pulling the strings -- use a variety of puppets.

Bill Maher is NOT on the same page with us because he has been called to a higher calling...­. for his people.

No -- they are not Americans.

[underoath]

01:58 AM on 06/14/2009

Well i guess the neocons got what they wanted.

[tydicea]

01:31 AM on 06/14/2009

Instead, they're rooting for the anti-Ameri­can bogeyman to stay in power.

Probably these same fo/ols would've rooted for another 8 yrs of Bush rule too.

[GoDogGo]

12:48 AM on 06/14/2009

I'm flabbergas­ted. My jaw is agape at this. This makes me g**da** furious.

For someone to suggest that they care about America yet openly want someone who wants to hurt us to win an election (for their own political purposes) is just...jus­t... I don't have words to express my outrage. I'm so angry...

[reneejay]

12:40 AM on 06/14/2009

Change will come to Iran just like change came to America.In case you are wondering ,for the good not the bad.Nothin­g stays the same forever.

[Birdman]

11:58 PM on 06/13/2009

why would this surprise anyone? After all GW let Osama escape so he could threaten all of us with him over an over, Had he caught him GW would have to create a new bad guy to take his place. So the fact that the republican­s are holding on to a bad guy to keep a slight hold on the fear factor does not surprise me one bit.

[jerrydenim]

11:34 PM on 06/13/2009

This IS news! How deplorable­!

I figured it out already from the news coverage and spin coming out of the right wing news outlets over the past 24 hours but still,..

I always figured the neo-cons as a bunch of peter-pan idealogues under the sway of a few bad apples, I never knew their love of war-monger­ing ran this deep.

I'm pretty jaded but this is still a bit shocking. I mean its obvious to everyone the US is way over extended militarily and not able to wage another war even if there was a political will at home? Why not encourage peaceful reform in Iran?

[Eriq]

11:26 PM on 06/13/2009

This is NOT news. The neocons are CRIMINALS. And yes, I did most assuredly intend to have the word CRIMINALS printed in bold.

[toushe]

11:07 PM on 06/13/2009

How sad there is no end to the lies the left will spew,thank god there is enough people that know this! You are becoming a very small little pathetic cult!

[Eriq]

11:25 PM on 06/13/2009

Um...have you checked the news lately, as in, the last six months?? The right wing in the U.S. is on the down and out, you fool

[Birdman]

11:59 PM on 06/13/2009

haha good joke there keep em coming

[onepotatotwopotato]

06:02 AM on 06/14/2009

Does anyone know if Ahmadineja­d carried the gay or Jewish vote?