Fawning Over A Maniac

The Washington Post fawns over Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the front page ("A Man of the People's Needs and Wants"). This, folks, is journalism at its worst. There are so many problems with this account that it is difficult to determine where to begin.

Here are some choice quotes/passages:

Here, ordinary people marvel at how their president comes across as someone in touch, as populist candidate turned caring incumbent. In speeches, 17-hour workdays and biweekly trips like the one that brought him here to Central Province, Ahmadinejad showcases a relentless preoccupation with the health, housing and, most of all, money problems that may barely register on the global agenda but represent the most clear and present danger for most in this nation of 70 million.

"It's good to have a very kind person near you, caring about your problems," said Akram Rashidi, 34, at the counter of a stationery store where the run on envelopes outpaced the supply of change. "The important thing is that the president and important people are caring about the people." ...

For the time being, Ahmadinejad's image at home stands in stark counterpoint to his notoriety elsewhere. Scrappy and bellicose to the West, his presidency has distinguished itself inside Iran by an almost total absence of pain. ...

But Ahmadinejad's primary focus is the ordinary people normally paid little notice by the country's insular, elitist political culture except at election time.

Ahmadinejad addresses them personally. "I love you too," he told the cheering crowd in Arak. But the only part of the speech heard in the world beyond Iran was what he said about Europe's emerging offer of incentives if Iran abandoned uranium enrichment: "walnuts for gold."

"The main emphasis of his speech is that he's going to raise up the people who have been deprived of a good life," said Rezaei, who makes his living ambling along the sidewalks of Arak, one hand on a clarinet that plays a flowing, upbeat tune, the other on a crutch. "His main point is he's going to bring a balance between people who have a lot of money and the poor. He's going to give them opportunity. This was the point people loved very much." ...

And it keeps going...on and on...Ahmadinejad is a hero to the people of Iran, don't you know. Unfortunately, there is a large body of facts that demonstrate otherwise. If Karl Vick and the Post had taken about 10 seconds to look around the web, they would have found any number of real analyses about what is going on inside Iran. Iran is not nearly the Valhalla The Post wants to believe it is. Here's a start. The Post's editors should check out this site from time to time as well. You would never know from the The Post's account that there have been massive protests and internal dissent.

Ignorance is not bliss.

(Hat tip: Cliff May at The Corner)