These are not the actions of a winner

Posted By Blake Hounshell Sunday, June 14, 2009 - 3:20 PM Share

I remain a little taken aback that some people -- like Newsweek's Christopher Dickey in the below quote -- seem ready to believe that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won the Iranian presidential election fair and square:

It appears that the working classes and the rural poor—the people who do not much look or act or talk like us—voted overwhelmingly for the scruffy, scrappy president who looks and acts and talks more or less like them. And while Mousavi and his supporters are protesting and even scuffling with police, they are just as likely to be overwhelmed in the streets as they were at the polls.

Juan Cole has already ably dispensed with such arguments, but here's something else to consider. If Ahmadinejad were really the victor, why would he be detaining the opposition? Why kick out foreign journalists? And check out this chilling quote, referring to Mousavi:

He ran a red light, and he got a traffic ticket,” Mr. Ahmadinejad said of his rival, during a news conference at the presidential palace.

According to the New York Times, Mousavi remains at home "with police closely monitoring his movements."

These are not the actions of a magnanimous, confident victor:

AFP/Getty Images

EXPLORE:IRAN ELECTION, ELECTIONS, IRAN
 
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AHMADI

7:52 PM ET

June 14, 2009

general strike called for tomorrow

Moussavi has called for general strike

Will Obama support the people or the regime??? HOPE AND CHANGE

 

HASS

4:56 PM ET

June 15, 2009

Smells like desperation.

The comments section on Juan Cole ably challenge Juan Cole's views on the matter. And, there are perfectly good reasons to crack down on rioting other than having lost a vote.

Here's a fact: not a single analyst in the West foresaw Ahamdinejad's first election. Nor Khatami's election. Nor the whole 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Why? Because they're all far too out of touch.

AHmadinejad won. Get used to it.

 

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