October 20, 2004

Bush Receives Endorsement From Iran From the article: TEHRAN, Iran - The head of Iran's security council said on Tuesday the re-election of President Bush (news - web sites) was in Tehran's best interests, despite the administration's axis of evil label, accusations that Iran harbors al-Qaida terrorists and threats of sanctions over the country's nuclear ambitions.

"...Historically, Democrats have harmed Iran more than Republicans, said Hasan Rowhani, head of the Supreme National Security Council, Iran's top security decision-making body. "We haven't seen anything good from Democrats," Rowhani told state-run television in remarks that, for the first time in recent decades, saw Iran openly supporting one U.S. presidential candidate over another. "We should not forget that most sanctions and economic pressures were imposed on Iran during the time of Clinton," Rowhani said of the former Democratic president. "And we should not forget that during Bush's era — despite his hard-line and baseless rhetoric against Iran — he didn't take, in practical terms, any dangerous action against Iran."

posted by squidranch 20 years ago
  • First Putin, now this. Bush is really rackin' up the nods from foreign leaders! IN YOUR FACE, KERRY!
  • "And we should not forget that during Bush's era — despite his hard-line and baseless rhetoric against Iran — he didn't take, in practical terms, any dangerous action against Iran." Not yet, not yet. He'll just need another four years to get to you.
  • KIM Chong-il endorsement of George Bush in 3...2...1
  • Hitler just called from his cell phone in hell... "George W. Bush ist meine Art des Diktators." ok, so it was a web translation, so sue me
  • ". . . ist mein Typ von Diktator." (I think that's how it should go.)
  • Bush endorsement checklist: 1. Vladimir "Vladimir" Putin 2. Iran 3. Iyad Allawi 4. Pervez Musharraf 5. Ariel Sharon 6. Tony Blair 7. ...
  • tensor, you forgot Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Kerry endorsement checklist: 1. Kim Jong Il 2. China 3. Jacques Chirac 4. Jose Luis Rodriquez Zapatero 5. Malaysian (former) Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad 6. and, oh, Fidel Castro Isn't politics fun? Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick.
  • Don't forget Poland. Or the cannoli.
  • Hey! It's the ass-kiss of evil! ...And I loves me some Polish cannoli!
  • Any word from the Turkmenbashi camp?
  • Yes, I believe Turkmenbashi is endorsing "Turkmenbashi" as a write-in candidate.
  • *writes Turkmenbashi into every voting form, crosses out all other options*
  • Why would Turkmenbashi need anyone to vote for him? After all, he is Turkmenbashi!
  • Can't even be bothered to name China's leader, eh f8xmulder? By the way, Chirac, Zapatero and Castro are all three better leaders and more intelligent and rational men than your boy Bush will ever be.
  • *ignores copper's bait*
  • Oh wait, I forgot to mention that Palestinian authority guy.
  • coppermac, have you got the slightest clue what kind of leader Chirac is? (this question goes to f8x also... he was something of an odd one out on your list, you must admit)
  • ok flashboy, I'll bite. what kind of leader is Chirac?
  • Personally, I have trouble remembering any of the leaders of China since Deng Xiaoping. It's easier for the Mao period - you could always remember who was in charge (either Mao, or some capitalist roaders). Say what you will about crazy leaders with personality cults, you never forget their name. But it is complicated in the case of the PRC - who is "the leader", the president or the prime minister? Or rather the head of the Communist part? I don't know. I did find this at wikipedia:
    Leaders of the Communist Party of China List of Chairmen of the CPC Central Committee
    Chen Duxiu (1921-1927) Mao Zedong (1929-1976) Hua Guofeng (1976-1981) Hu Yaobang (1981-1982)
    List of General Secretaries of the Communist Party of China
    Deng Xiaoping (1956-1957) Hu Yaobang (1980-1987) Zhao Ziyang (1987-1989) Jiang Zemin (1989-2002) Hu Jintao (since 2002)
    The post of Chairman was abolished in 1982. Previously, the General Secretary served more of a bureaucratic role subordinate to the chairman. With the abolition of the post of Chairman, the General Secretary has become the most powerful position within the party.
  • flashboy, I'm mostly aware of Chirac when he does something that stands out in US media. Outside that, I'm unfamiliar with him as a leader. I'm probably shouldn't have included him on the list. Apologies.
  • I'd have a heck of a lot more respect for Chirac if it wasn't for the nuclear testing in the Pacific in 1995.
  • The only reason Chirac's not in jail is because he's the president. Think ex-Mayor of Paris, think construction contracts and housing allocations, think brown paper bags full of cash delivered to you know who.
  • Bingo, Wolof*. Also (and I realise that neither coppermac nor f8x may have made this mistake) I've seen a lot of people on teh interweb making comments that only make sense if they believe that Chirac is a rampant socialist. He's not. He's from the major right-wing party, probably further to the right on many issues than Britain's Tories, for example. Quite possibly to the right of Bush on some things too. It's a little hard to tell, because he does tend to meander around the political spectrum as suits his political needs. But his governments are always deeply right-wing at heart. So. He's no socialist, no liberal, he's right-wing; more importantly, he's so corrupt that he could teach Dick Cheney a thing or two. Only the presence of the pseudo-dictator Berlusconi (don't get me started) stops him being Europe's most villified leader. So, whatever - you may think him marginally worse than Bush, you may think him slightly better - but holding him up as an example of intelligent, rational, good leadership is simply, utterly asinine. Equally, putting him at the forefront of lefty Old-Europe would be plain wrong. That his petty little corruptions happened to coincide with the (moral) desires of the vast majority of his populace over the Iraq war shows him to be nothing more than a lucky Machiavellian bugger. It was painful in the extreme to watch so many people being forced to vote for him in order to defeat Le Pen in 2002. *That was not meant to be patronising. Wolof almost certainly knows more about France than me. Speaks the lingo for a start, don't he?
  • Yes, flashboy, I am familiar with Chirac's policies and nonsense. I also see that he is, as I stated, a far better leader, and more intelligent and rational than Bush. Then again, Qaddafi is a far better leader, and more intelligent and rational than Bush.
  • Ah, right. OK, carry on doing whatever is was you were doing.
  • heh