Iran: What's it up to?

Several news announcements coming from Iran today. The first, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave instructions on Sunday for the production of higher-grade nuclear reactor fuel, prompting the United States and Germany to threaten carefully targeted new sanctions against Tehran. This would allow them to develop a bomb rather than just use it for Nuclear Power.

The second announcement was that they had detained 7 they claimed were tied to US-funded radio station they said was for spying. I have been watching Iran since their elections take actions to try to taunt Western powers, including the United States, into taking a bold move against them. I guess the figure, and rightfully so, that in doing so they would help unite this divided country. My guess is that they will continue to stick something in our eyes in hopes of precipitating a more severe reaction. We must not do this. Let the people of Iran decide what they want from their government. We should stay out of it. It will be difficult as they will continue to raise the stakes until either we respond to the provocation or Israel does.

If the people of Iran continue to show the courage to defy Ahmadinejad and Cleric Ali Khamenei, their "Supreme Leader" and are able to disrupt their government enough, they may have a chance to changing the history being written. It does take huge courage but every society has in its midst those who have the courage. We had Franklin, Jefferson and Washington to rewrite our history. They need to find their leaders of courage rather than the gangsters they have now.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vs. President George Bush

I heard Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on 60 Minutes last night. Oh he lies through his teeth, however one thing I walked away with is this. He speaks coherently, unlike our President. He lies like President Bush, but uses coherent language, but unfortunatley it is not based upon a logical argument. But there is something to be said for his education in Iran and Bush's here at Yale, for his Bachelor of Arts degree and Harvard, for his Masters of Business Administration. Maybe President Bush should have gotten an Engineering degree. And just maybe, both Yale and Harvard wished they could get back their degree's bestowed upon him.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made Iran's Tehran’s University of Science and Technology proud, where Ahmadinejad studied Civil Engineering. He earned a Master’s degree there and a Ph.D. in engineering and traffic transportation planning. Hmmm, we could have used him after Katrina.

Obviously Ahmadinejad is more educated than Bush, and it shows even though both are expert liars. With Ahmadinejad we don't know exactly which are the lies as we still hope that he isn't pursuing nuclear weapons, although we don't believe him and neither does the UN. We know he is lying about not stiring up trouble in Iraq at the expense of our troops and the Iraqi's as well. The problem is our President has lied to us for so long and over and over again on the same issues we know he is never telling the truth, so we have become cynics and don't believe him even when he might tell a truth. He has lost credibility completely with the American people. So has Ahmadinejad with the Iranian people regarding their domestic issues.

UPDATE: 11:45am PST.

Listening to the Ahmadinejad at Columbia University, it is clear he can debate and use this Forum effectively. However, he did not shed any new light or openings into a further dialogue, which in my view is a missed opportunity. I agree that he was insulted before his speech was given by the scathing introduction given by Columbia's President Bollinger. Some can rightfully argue he deserved this but it made the Institution look small. He was not respected. I hope he does take the opportunity to invite the President of Columbia to speak at the University in Iran and give him better treatment than he received.