Stealing Elections

My great sorrow goes to the people of Iran, who deserve much better. When the war criminals in this country stole an election, it resulted in the horrible war on Iraq, the end of the rule of law that made torture a policy of this formerly decent country, and worldwide disaster economically.

The will of the public has proved to be a very good indicator of th4eir best interests, and defeat of that will has proved tragic.

A few snippets of news acknowledge that this is rank theft.

Hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defeated moderate challenger Mirhossein Mousavi by a surprisingly wide margin in Iran's presidential election, official results showed on Saturday. Mousavi derided the tally as a "dangerous charade."

Here are some analysts' views on the outcome of Friday's vote:

KARIM SADJAPOUR, ANALYST AT CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR

INTERNATIONAL PEACE:

"I don't think anyone anticipated this level of fraudulence. This was a selection, not an election. At least authoritarian regimes like Syria and Egypt have no democratic pretences. In retrospect it appears this entire campaign was a show: (Supreme Leader) Ayatollah (Ali) Khamenei wasn't ever going to let Ahmadinejad lose."

ALIREZA NADER, RAND CORPORATION:

"Ahmadinejad has of course won the election. What is surprising is his share of the vote -- 64 percent according to some estimates. The opposition in Iran may protest this election as being fraudulent. Mousavi's supporters were hopeful that he had a great chance of winning and that his presidency would lead to much needed reforms. Their enthusiasm may turn into frustration, and perhaps even active opposition against the government. Although the president is not the chief decision-maker, Ahmadinejad's win is a sign that Iranian politics is in stage of flux.
(snip)
MARK FITZPATRICK, SENIOR FELLOW FOR NON-PROLIFERATION AT

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES IN LONDON:

"I'm surprised at the regime's audacity in declaring such a large margin for Ahmadinejad, given that in the run-up, the momentum seemed to be in the other direction. The hardliners in the regime seem to have exercised all their levers of power to keep Ahmadinejad in place. Undoubtedly, one of the key reasons was their concern about losing control of the country through policies such as willingness to engage with the United States.

There is no possibility of the continuation of the right wing's being good for that country, and it brought disastrous results for this one, and for the world.

Sadly, it was the disasters of the right wing's maladministration that brought it down here. That such a result should be necessary for Iran is sad, and regretted. We who have watched the ruin of our own country under right wing rule are sympathetic with, and hopeful for, the Iranian people who deserved better.