In an interview broadcast this week on the BBC, President Obama said this about the terrorist, murderous, apocalyptic, and maniacal regime in the Islamic Republic of Iran:
"Without going into specifics, what I do believe is that Iran has legitimate energy concerns, legitimate concerns. On the other hand, the international community has a very real interest in preventing a nuclear arms race in the region."
This is his typical "on the one hand, on the other hand" way of stating things so he looks like a reasonable guy who takes all opinions into account. What he really is is disingenuous because he has always already made up his mind before he goes through that ridiculous "on the one hand, on the other hand" charade.
Obama's short statement on Iran tells us a few very important but disturbing things.
First, he's either uneducated about the Islamic Republic or he's falling for its propaganda. Neither scenario is desirable in an American commander-in-chief.
Iran is sitting on a ton of oil and natural gas. The idea that they are in desperate need of nuclear energy to power their nation is absurd.
Amir Taheri, an expert on the Middle East, brilliant syndicated columnist, and the author of the equally brilliant book, The Persian Night, points out that Tehran isn't at all interested in pursuing the nuclear fuel cycle for energy only:
"The only nuclear power station under construction in Iran...was designed by the Germans in the 1970s and is being built by a Russian company that constructed Chernobyl. The Bushehr plant is designed to use a specially graded and codified fuel that is produced ONLY in Russia; it CANNOT use the uranium enriched by Iran."
So then: what possible reason would Iran have to enrich uranium?? (Duh.)
He continues: "There is one more reason to suspect that the Islamic Republic is trying to become a nuclear power. It is building a heavy water plant at Arak, west of Tehran, supposedly producing fuel for a nuclear power station using plutonium. However, the Islamic Republic has NO SUCH PLANT, nor has it EVER planned to build one. What IS produced in Arak, therefore, could ONLY have a military use." (Emphasis mine.)
And yet, Obama cannot believe that the world's biggest terrorist regime would have dark motives. He is either incredibly naive or incredibly stupid. Neither very comforting. Or perhaps he's incredibly gullible, as he seems to have swallowed Iran's propaganda hook, line, and sinker. Also not a comforting thought. Neither is another possibility: that he's sympathetic to the Iranians' pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
Secondly, and more importantly, was what Obama referred to as the Iranians' "legimitate aspirations."
"Aspirations" to what, exactly? Obama doesn't say.
Based on his drooling willingness to engage the terrorist regime and embrace its lines of propaganda, it seems likely that Obama is referring to Iran's aspirations....to have nuclear weapons.
Does Obama believe Tehran's nuclear weapons ambitions are "legitimate?" Is that what he meant?
Some enterprising and fair-minded journalist should ask him. Oh, that's right. We don't have any of those.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Tehran, the apocalyptic and maniacal Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad giggles like a schoolgirl.
