IRAN: McCain stumbles over Persian leadership puzzle

There's a simple test to figure out who really runs a Middle East country. You walk outside onto the streets of any major city and look at whose face is up on the billboards.

In Iran it's the face of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, not the that of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain, who is running on his foreign policy credentials, stumbled into the labyrinthine structure of Iran's political leadership this week. At a press appearance he insisted that Ahmadinejad and not Khamenei sits at the top of Iran's hierarchy.

He got into a debate with Time magazine reporter Joe Klein that was captured below.

Below is part of the exchange:

KLEIN: According to most diplomatic experts, the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is the guy who's in charge of Iranian foreign policy and also in charge of the nuclear program, but you never mention him. Do you, you know, um, why do you always keep talking about Ahmadinejad since he doesn't have power in that, in that realm?
MCCAIN: I respectfully disagree. When he's the person that comes to the United Nations and declares his country's policy is the extermination of the state of Israel, quote, in his words, wipe them off of the map, then I know that he is speaking for the Iranian government and articulating their policy and he was elected and is running for reelection as the leader of that country.

Iran's a tough nut to crack. Scholars spend years trying to figure out the ins and outs of the Iranian leadership.

But as U.S. and Western officials hoping for change in Iran became painfully aware during the presidency of reform-minded cleric Mohammad Khatami, it's Khamenei — the successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini — who runs the show.

According to Article 110 of the Iranian constitution, the supreme leader's authorities include setting and overseeing the execution of the country's general policies, commanding the armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, declaring war or peace, appointing or dismissing those serving on religious committees and those heading the broadcast networks and armed forces.

More tellingly, the supreme leader issues the formal decree certifying the election of a new Iranian president, and has the option to dismiss or retain the president if he is judged guilty or incompetent in parliament or a court of law.

The president does, however, appoint the head of the foreign ministry.

In March, McCain he alleged that Iran was training Al Qaeda, before quickly correcting himself.

—Borzou Daragahi in Beirut

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Comments

[David Sketchley]

The ignorance of Republican politicians should automatically disqualify them from running for President.

The trouble with McCain is that he's not only pig ignorant he's a liar as well. The Iranian President has never ever called for "the extermination of the state of Israel". These lies have been discredited for so long, that the only reason people like this insist on using the same incendiary language, is that they must be fans of Nazi Joseph Goebbels: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”

http://therealnews.com/t/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=1512
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/jonathan_steele/2006/06/post_155.html
http://www.mohammadmossadegh.com/news/rumor-of-the-century/

[Gurmit Singh]

How can American people be so guillible to be talked into this nonsense by their ignorant US leaders about the world they talk so are so concerned about?

Wake up Americans before it is too late (as if 8 years isn't enough) :(

[Robert P.]

We can't afford another 8 years of a person who doesn't know these basic facts.

[Alan Rogers]

Yes Mr. McCain the guy who LEADS Iran is Khamenei! Maybe you should read a book or two or three before you bomb a country and its 7,000 year history and civilization.

And McCain should know that their leader went to the frontlines, unlike ours Bush who was a dodger of the war. See here:

http://irannegah.com/Video.aspx?id=451