(Weekly Standard) Reuel Marc Gerecht - Why do so many foreign-policy types, after 34 years of seeing the revolution in action - seeing Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and his successor Ali Khamenei endlessly vent their loathing of the U.S. in the most sincere religious terms - stubbornly cling to the idea that the Islamic Republic and the U.S. ought to be able to work out their differences? A thorough examination of Khamenei's words and actions reveals a tirelessly anti-American, terrorism-addicted Muslim paladin, chosen by divine fate. In 2009 Obama extended his hand. He dreamed of direct, unconditional U.S.-Iranian talks. He kept quiet when the Green Revolution erupted on Tehran's streets. There was no "missed opportunity" with this president. How did Khamenei respond to Obama's entreaties? He called America "Satan incarnate." The writer is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former Iranian targets officer in the CIA's clandestine service.
2013-05-14 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive