Mcnorman's Weblog

Bystander In Chief  calls on HuffPost for Iran question – Michael Calderone – POLITICO.com.

Reporters typically don’t coordinate their questions for the president before press conferences. It was  departure from White House protocol by calling on The Huffington Post second, in between the AP and Reuters.

How difficult would have been to call on that company that doesn’t give you slobbering press?

Wow, them’s fighten’  words Barry.

Mousavi Was the Butcher of Beirut « Dprogram.net.

He may yet turn out to be the avatar of Iranian democracy, but three decades ago Mir-Hossein Mousavi was waging a terrorist war on the United States that included bloody attacks on the U.S. embassy and Marine Corps barracks in Beirut.

Mousavi, prime minister for most of the 1980s, personally selected his point man for the Beirut terror campaign, Ali Akbar Mohtashemi-pur, and dispatched him to Damascus as Iran’s ambassador, according to former CIA and military officials.

As HA offers,

We need to focus our support on the people of Iran and not Mousavi, and hope that they can soon choose leaders outside of the mullahcracy that has choked Iran for 30 years.

And let us not forget his lovely wife.

Rahnavard, 64, a sculptor and academic, broke the mold of Iranian politics by campaigning openly alongside her spouse.  She has been compared to Michelle Obama.

Rahnavard Mousavi

Of course, this photo of her stomping on the US Flag ala William Ayers is probably not going to be highly circulated.

His wife, Zahra Rahnavard, is making campaign appearances with him wearing an Iranian-style Islamic veil.   Some in the West are even calling her the “Michelle Obama” of Iran. And yet, a recent photograph from an official Iranian news agency shows her stomping on an American flag.

[this part is ironic since Michele O disapproved of America until her husband became president]

Mousavi's spouse stomping on flags. From an Islamic blog, comes additional information about the wife of Iran’s “reform” candidate, Zahra Rahnavard, including her love for Islam and the Qur’an – which she teaches; jihad, Sayid Qutb and other Islamic martyrs. As well as her hatred for the United States – where she lived for several years – Israel, and Western feminists.

Thanks CS & Anthony.

ACORN drops tarnished name and moves to silence critics | Washington Examiner.

New name, same old game.

link to Wade, the man behind ACORN

Silvio Berlusconi: the parties, the trinkets, the cash – Times Online.

He has made no secret of his love of women but the sex scandal surrounding Silvio Berlusconi is now threatening to topple him, as more claims emerge of the systematic recruitment of young women paid to attend private parties at his homes in Rome and Sardinia.

In an interview with The Times Barbara Montereale said that Mr Berlusconi gave her €10,000 (£8,500) “as a present” after attending one of his parties at Villa Certosa. She also claims to have received an attendance fee of €1,000, paid by his alleged fixer, Giampaolo Tarantini.

Miss Montereale, 23, also claimed that Patrizia D’Addario, the escort girl at the centre of the scandal, told her she had had sex with Mr Berlusconi.

Mousavi supporters are trying to take back the streets of from Basij. How long will they wait before the Mullahs respond with the same brute force of Tiananmen Square?  via StopAhmadi on Twitter

DISPATCHES – Tehran Bureau.  Translated in it’s entirety.

By MUHAMMAD SAHIMI in Los Angeles | 20 June 2009

[TEHRAN BUREAU] In his Friday June 19 speech, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei came down firmly on the side of the hard-liners, declaring that the presidential elections of June 12 are valid and legitimate, and that there should be no more demonstrations. He also warned that any such demonstration will be dealt with forcefully, and claimed that the responsibility for any casualties will be firmly upon the reformist candidates, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi, and other reformist leaders.

Although the large demonstrations that had been scheduled for today — June 20 — did not materialize on the scale of last week’s huge demonstrations, due in part to the police’s use of water cannons, tear gas canisters, batons, and other means to prevent people from gathering in large numbers. At the time of writing this article, the demonstrations are continuing.

Today, Mr. Mousavi issued a strongly worded statement that, while not naming Ayatollah Khamenei explicitly, was completely in his defiance.

Dear dignified and intelligent people of Iran,

A turning point in the history of our nation is emerging these days and nights. People are asking themselves and, in their rallies, me about what should be done [about the present situation], and which direction should be taken [to continue the protests]. I consider it my duty to explain to you what I think, and to tell you and be taught by you, so that we will not forget our historic mission, and take the responsibility for the future and fate of many [future] generation and eras.

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