Even though Basij thugs are massacring civilians, Roger Cohen reports with a Tehran byline that the regular police forces are starting to back down. From NYT:
Garbage burned. Crowds bayed. Smoke from tear gas swirled. Hurled bricks sent phalanxes of police, some with automatic rifles, into retreat to the accompaniment of cheers. Early afternoon rumors that the rally for Moussavi had been canceled yielded to the reality of violent confrontation.A regime that depends upon the oppression of it's citizens as a means of maintaining power will have a hard time staying afloat if the police walk off the job. Who knows what will happen today...
I don’t know where this uprising is leading. I do know some police units are wavering. That commander talking about his family was not alone. There were other policemen complaining about the unruly Basijis. Some security forces just stood and watched. “All together, all together, don’t be scared,” the crowd shouted.
One thing is for sure, Ahmadinejad is channeling his inner Baghdad Bob. From the Iranian propaganda apparatus Press TV:
I sincerely extend my gratitude to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei over his historic and epoch-making presence as well as helpful remarks at Tehran's Friday prayers.Is anyone in the world taking this guy seriously anymore?
See what the others have said:
5 comments:
Nice and quiet there today...Unfortunately.
Unfortunately, a lot of people take Ahmadinejad seriously. His vile anti-Semitic rants speaks to a majority of the Middle East.
I'm just curious how much of the country is made of his silent supporters: http://tinyurl.com/IranPoll
Not that those numbers are definitive: http://tinyurl.com/IranPollComments
Despite the current political unrest, I'll bet Ahmadinejad will be back to giving embarrising speaches at the UN this time next year.
Or that poll could be total BS, and this analysis could be the real deal: Chatham House Paper
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