Ahmadinejad: The New Boogeyman

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denies the Holocaust. Let me ask this provocative question: so what?

Of course, I understand that people have a visceral reaction to that claim. It is grossly untrue, offensive and ignorant. But we are also told how dangerous Ahmadinejad is because he doesn't believe in the Holocaust. I fail to see that connection.

There are countless people all across the world that deny many things that are patently true -- and we don't go to war with them over it. Senator Inhofe (R-OK) denies global warming. As far as I know we are not planning on invading Oklahoma over it.

But Ahmadinejad is the leader of an important country in the Middle East. Well, so is Tayyip Erdogan, the Prime Minister of Turkey. He denies the Armenian Genocide. Should we invade Turkey?

I bet I can find you at least half a dozen world leaders who deny one genocide or another. Should we suit up and restart the draft? We've got a lot of countries to attack.

If Ahmadinejad's views on the Holocaust are not being used as propaganda fodder for an attack against Iran, then I don't care. Condemn him all you want. He's earned it. But if this is being used -- as we all know it is -- to build a new boogeyman in the Middle East, then it is dangerous folly.

Ahmadinejad is being cast as the new Saddam Hussein or the new Adolf Hitler. After all, we need enemies to tear down. That's terrific. How about we focus on the enemies who have already attacked us, like Osama bin Laden?

Gee, I wonder who we should focus on -- the guy who killed nearly 3,000 U.S. citizens on the worst terrorist attack against this country or the guy who hurt our feelings by saying he doesn't believe in the Holocaust? How are intelligent people having this conversation? How easy is it to trick people over and over with this kind of propaganda?

Ignore the real threats, get sidetracked by provocative words. Attack the wrong country, go after the wrong man. Where have I seen this movie before?

By the way, does anyone care what the American people think anymore? A recent poll showed that only 8 percent of Americans think military action against Iran is the right course. So what is the only course of action being debated inside Washington? Military action, of course.

What happened to our democracy? And how long can the people with power in D.C. ignore the will of the people before it catches up with them?

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Comments

[noam4prez]

Cenk, I love you, man, but seriously, "What happened to our democracy?"??? We never had anything close. Bush / Cheney just rub it in our faces.

"And how long can the people with power in D.C. ignore the will of the people before it catches up with them?"??? From 1776 to infinity... and beyond!

[bhougen]

Iran is a red herring. It is easy to get people all worked up over Iran by repeating the same things over and over: Ahmedinijad denies the holocaust, said Israel should be wiped off the map, Iran is developing a nuclear program, and that Iran is supplying IED's to insurgents in Iraq.
The holocaust thing is irrelevant, I agree. His comments on Israel are merely that: comments. The stories about supporting Iraqi insurgents is an inflated one: in reality, Saudi Arabia contributes to over 50% of the insurgency coming into Iraq, and they're supposed to be our friends. Then take into account that Ahmedinijad is extremely unpopular in his own country. I just don't buy the argument that Iran is a serious threat to America.

[poopdeck]

Quick, would Columbia's Dean have invited Joseph Stalin in 1947 when JS was the ruler of the country that was the absolute first to recognize the new state of Israel and he ordered his ally Czechoslovakia to ship rifles to the Israeli army?
Deeeelicious!
From the point of handling by Columbia U., the whole Amedinejahd affair reeked of CU's humongous hypocrisy, especially on the issue of homosexuality.

[Motherfunner]

Is there an actual quote where he denies the Holocaust? I heard a Farsi interpretor on the radio say that what Ahmadinejad said was it didn't make sense to him that a war between Europe, America and Japan gets settled by coming to the middle east and pushing Palestinians off lands and giving it to the Jews. The interpretor also said Ahmadinejad does not deny that Germany killed a lot of Jews but asked why the suffering of the Jews should be treated as more important than the suffering of other groups. These seem like legitimate questions to me. I grew up a daughter of an ex-communicated Catholic who was the only one on the block who didn't go to Catholic school and church. I remember the local moms being glad we were at war in Vietnam to wipe out those godless communists because they were savages. Yesterday's communism is today's terrorism. We attack countries who have different ideas about god and money. We attack countries who have their own ideas about controlling the business of their natural resources. As an atheist I dismay at seeing the potential for the earth's destruction because the Christians, Jews and Muslims can't get along with each other. I respect religious people. It's greed that has corrupted everything. Bush/Cheney see the rest of their term as time to make more money for themselves. To get our democracy back we need to decide on a few core goals we want and make the Democratic nominee promise to deliver and then do our part by getting as many people to register and to vote as possible. We need numbers massive enough to defeat dirty tricks, rigged machines, gay hating, woman hating, black hating. The Dems need to play to the passion. We are better than this. No War with Iran! US out of Iraq! Reduce Oil Dependence. Innovate the Future.

[rmreddicks]

Motherfunner,

I'm with you on most of that post. But, to get our "democracy" back, (and I quote Thomas Jefferson on that; "A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine." I'll add: except in the U.S. Senate) well, it's not going to happen.

Our democracy is gone. As is our republic.

And while no particular fan of the old slave holder Thomas Jefferson, I'll quote him again; "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

If you want your country back voting isn't going to do the job. It's useful tactically and locally, perhaps. Bleeding (and making the other poor s.o.b bleed more) MIGHT work. It's up to you to decide what you will do.

[samlang]

"They have invented a myth that Jews were massacred and place this above God, religions and the prophets," Ahmadinejad said in a speech to thousands of people in the Iranian city of Zahedan, according to a report on Wednesday from Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.

"The West has given more significance to the myth of the genocide of the Jews, even more significant than God, religion, and the prophets," he said. "

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/12/14/iran.israel/

In a May 30, 2006 interview with Der Spiegel Ahmadinejad again questioned the Holocaust several times, insisting there were "two opinions" on it. When asked if the Holocaust was a myth, he responded "I will only accept something as truth if I am actually convinced of it".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmadinejad

[outnow]

I agree with you. All that Ahmadinejad need do is "deny the Holocaust" and everyone "faints." The gypsies (Romas) and the Polish are not quite as vocal. What if there is a statement that Israel discriminates against Palestinians? There doesn't seem to be a murmur from anyone. What is the U.S. assassinates Salvador Allende? The Diem regime? What if the U.S. overthrows other peaceful democracies such as Iran in 1953? Where is the outrage?

I have faced an "existential threat" to my existence since I was born in the late 40's from nuclear weapons. I was alive during the Cuban Missile crisis. Long years in Korean and Vietnam wars brought about by the U.S. has made me weary of the ideologues who promote wars.

A great deal of money is being made off of perpetual war. Political leaders often do not want peace because peace isn't manly. You can't get re-elected and stay in power. We learned that from LBJ, Nixon and Bush, Jr.

[breakfast]

Grendl

As for "world leaders we should look out for in the future", I suggest Bush is the one. He's got 483 days left.

[MelFamy]

Ahmaddenutjob should fly to Europe from New York, and take the Final Solution Tour. It hits all the hot spots, Treblinka, Auschwitz, etc. Then he can lay a wreath, and start mending fences.
But I agree with you, he is no more dangerous for believing in what happened to 6 million people, than he is for being against showing women's ankles. The fact is, that Iran will have to play a role in any post-US Iraq re-building. Better that it is as a partner than as an opponent. Engaging Iran economically might lead to reconciliation. Any military action will unite a more-or-less friendly, upscale, pro-western population behind a fundamentalist leader.

[cynara]

Speaking of Genocide deniers, the white house claims that only around 60,000 Iraqis have died since the invasion. Independent sources claim up to half a million.

[duboisist]

what's amazing is how many times they get way with the same old pattern.

1. Country has some economic asset that a handful of guys want to control.
2. The start talking crap about how the country's leader is "the worst person in the world."
3. We spend a lot of money and kill a lot of people to get rid of THAT ONE PERSON.
4. AND those few guys divvy up the spoils.

Saddam in Iraq
Aristide in Haiti
Noriega in Panama

[laocoon]

Deja Vu again. Seems like 2002. I already see even on Huff Post comments about how the pres. of Iran is not creditable because he said some thing weird about homosexuals. I hear quotes attributed to him that are different from what he seems to say in person. this will all soon become intensified accusations from bush and of course "even liberals say pres of Iran is not believable therefore Bush must be right." Dont get sucked into this chorus of attacking Pres. of Iran, you should know now where that will lead.

[itmaybetoolate]

Come on. We can't bomb a country that has no homosexuals!! That would be so, um..anti-republican!

[rmreddicks]

Yeah, what could we do? Blow up their log cabins?

[Buddysingh]

Cenk,I love your articles. It makes you think differently. The propaganda in the US press is shameless and mind boggling. Most of the people I talk to do not read or just listen to right wing radio nuts. Las Vegas - except for NPR, has mostly right wing radio guys crapping all over. The Real and Reasonable voice is not heard over the loud decibel of the fear mongerings of Rush, Hannity and the Faux Noise. what happened to the good, just, reasonable americans? This is a great nation with lousy leaders both Republicans and Democrats!!!

[ihavenobias]

Believe me, it's not just Las Vegas. According to Media Matters, for every one progressive radio show there are 10 conservative shows.

Even here in Chicago there is only ONE progressive radio station with a *weak* signal (there are two strong signal stations that carry Limbaugh, Hannity, Savage and on and on).

Even worse, the local progressive station doesn't carry The Young Turks, which means I have to download the podcasts instead of listening on the radio.

But hey, if you don't like your situation try what I've been doing and contact your local stations.

PS---Here's a video clip of Cenk discussing Ahmadinejad:

theyoungturks.com/story/2007/9/25/105458/740

[amanofmeans]

I think it was Josef Stalin who said it's not who votes.It's who's counting the votes.

[aleco]

Cenk, I applaud your courage. Too many people are intimidated by the pro Israel bias in the media to speak up and bring a little sanity and reason to the debate. Since the 1950's, Israel, the military industrial complex, the oil companies, and lately Halliburton, have dictated U.S. foriegn policy, often to the detriment of the people of the United States and others in the world. The same thing is happening now with our belligerent posture toward Iran, as it serves to keep oil prices and profits up.

[PADDYWHACK]

Several things,Adolf was a Catholic but wasn't very kind to them,and certainly didn't act to promote their interests,his views were atheistic.The idea of Iran with nukes isn't terrifying but would allow them to resist invasion or destruction,seems smart to me.Our current leadership can't abide the idea of any country in this position.The Democrats will continue this policy,but I think their base may not be so compliant.The GOP/Neo whores will be extirpated at the polls but their policies will survive.I'm looking for a candidate who will lay off the Middle East and allow them to seek their own destiny.

[rmreddicks]

Just a question. How is someone a Catholic because they were baptized as an infant? Hitler, baptism and commercial religion seem a three edged sword. Hitler may well have been, despite his baptism and his atheistic tendencies, one of the most powerful (if despicable) religious leaders in modern history.

[cheerleaderBush]

Ahmadinejad is definately "hitler of the month"... the military industrial complex has always had a flavor (boogeyman) of the month to stir up fear to help perpetuate the $600B "defense" budget... and they laugh all the way to the bank - and can't believe how gullible Americans are.

IMPORTANT: i did see where Ahmadinejad said that "there are no homosexuals in the Republican party, as this is a phenomenon exclusive to Democrats"... and shortly after making this statement, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly all booked Ahmadinejad for puff pieces on their shows - hailing Ahmadinejad as "a bold and brilliant leader - an quite possibly the new Ron Reagan"