Wow! The audacity is breathtaking! I mean if you're gonna pull sheninigans then go all the fuckin' way, eh? That's apparently how A Jad and crew take care of bidness. I mean maybe he could have looked a little fairer if Mousavi had gained a few percentage points just to take the stank off of the elction a small amount. But uhuh, no, A Jad's sticking the knife in even further and twisting! He's actually gained votes in a partial recount! Attention kossacks: You are bearing witness to an actual bonafide madman.
TEHRAN, June 29 (Reuters) - Iran held a partial recount on Monday of its disputed election won by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but one defeated reformist candidate said annulment of the poll was "the only way to regain the people's trust".
In a sign that the process would not put into question Ahmadinejad's victory, IRNA news agency said recounting so far in one Tehran district gave him more votes than in the June 12 poll that unleashed the worst unrest since the 1979 revolution.
http://www.reuters.com/...
That new bizarre twist to this mind bending saga of powerful dark forces at work comes on the heels of some fiery rhetoric spewed by Mahmoud on Saturday directed at Obama.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad added new fuel to an intensifying spat with President Obama Saturday, denouncing what he called "insulting" comments about a crackdown on protesters....
Noting that Obama has spoken of "reforms and changes," Ahmadinejad asked, "Why did he interfere and comment in a way that disregards convention and courtesy?" He said Western leaders who made "insulting and irrelevant comments will be put on a fair trial" by Iran at international gatherings.
"It is enough," he said. "Do not disgrace yourself further by such language and behavior."
Ahmadinejad also vowed to take a tougher approach toward alleged meddling by the West during his second four-year term, which the government has said will begin this summer.
Without a doubt, Iran's new government will have a more decisive and firmer approach toward the West," Ahmadinejad said. "This time the Iranian nation's reply will be harsh and more decisive" to make the West regret its "meddlesome stance," he said.
http://www.sfgate.com/...
US officials, however have left the door open to diplomacy regarding Iran's nuclear weapons program.
Top Obama administration officials say the door remains open for nuclear talks with Iran. They are discounting the latest anti-American rhetoric from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The ongoing post-election turmoil in Iran has raised questions about the outlook for diplomacy to deal with Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Appearing on the CBS television program Face the Nation, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice indicated the Iranian nuclear program remains a matter of high concern for the White House.
We have an interest in any case in trying to ensure that Iran does not achieve a nuclear weapons capability," said Rice. "We have pursued that through multi-lateral diplomacy. We have left the door open to bilateral diplomacy.
http://www.voanews.com/...
Well, it's gonna be fascinating to see where US/iranian relations go. Bilateral negotiations have no doubt been pushed back. Obama doesn't want to be seen as handing legitimacy to A Jad right off the bat I'm sure. It's gonna be a delicate balancing act. And of course nobody knows where this uprising is heading either.
moon
