Iran’s clerically appointed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today compared the democratically elected President of the United States, Barack Obama, to his predecessor, George W. Bush.  The victor (for the time being) of Iran’s recent virulently disputed Presidential election told the quasi-official Fars News Agency “Mr Obama made a mistake to say those things … our question is why he fell into this trap and said things that previously Bush used to say,”.  Ahmadinejad continued,”Do you want to speak with this tone? If that is your stance then what is left to talk about … I hope you avoid interfering in Iran’s affairs…,”

Linking Obama to Bush would be a PR dream come true at this point for Ahmadinejad.  Unfortunately for him, probably the majority of the Iranian people feel his election is a fraud and that Obama is on the right side of this issue.  Using violence in the streets to quell protests isn’t helping matters much either in winning Ahmadinejad new friends and admirers.  Obama, despite shortsighted domestic criticism, was wise to not to say much about Iran until its regime began using force, thus preventing the issue from being distracted by appearing as another episode of American imperialism to observers throughout the Middle East.   Instead he gave the Iranian authorities just enough rope before criticizing them, coming out on the right side of the issue, without making it another round of USA vs. Iran.LINKS:

NY Times: Ahmadinejad Assails Obama as Opposition Urges Defiance

ABC News (Australia): Ahmadinejad attacks Obama as crackdown continues

Al Jazeera: Iran mourning ceremony called off