• The spin: George W. Bush tries to make you fear that Iran is run by a madman
• The reality: Iran's power elite are starting to push Mahmoud Ahmadinejad into the gutter
May 25, 2007– ZURICH (apj.us) – There's a niggling fact that George W. Bush and his sidekick Condoleezza Rice won't tell you while they are trying to scare you into cleaning out your 1950s backyard bomb shelter.
That simple fact is that Iran is not in fact run by the diminutive, weasel-like President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who seems to very much enjoy dressing as a midget bus driver.
The truth is that Iran's power elite, including the nation's true "Supreme Leader," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (just focus on the word 'supreme'), run the show from behind closed doors in Tehran.
Here is how the authentic power has begun to marginalize Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:
The Iranian government has determined to increase the price of gasoline in Iran by 27 percent – a decision that is not popular with Iranian citizens who believe they should be getting their motor fuel for free.
The "government" is also cutting back on its subvention grants, and the Interior Minister announced that fuel rationing will begin in Iran next week.
Only a few days earlier, the government had said it had no plans to increase gasoline prices.
Well, well!
Keep in mind that Ahmadinejad pretends to be "the people's president," which is a tough role to play when you shove your hands into voter's front pockets and handbags and then taking whatever you can get.
Ahmadinejad also gets no credit that even with the increase in price, gasoline is still only 38 cents a gallon.
So exactly what is going on in Tehran?
The fact is that Iran's "conservatives," who are really the liberals, are looking to disgrace Ahmadinejad, who is an Iranian version of the American Neoconservative.
Ahmadinejad, with ruffled feathers, is making public statements this week that are more blistering than usual against President Bush – but are these provocations aimed at the United States, or the more liberal members of the "conservative" Iranian government?
One thing is certain: there have been many tough arguments between Ahmadinejad and senior Iranian officials that tell me he is in severe trouble at home.
Mr. Bush knows this, but – like a malevolent Cheshire Cat – he is keeping the good news to himself while frightening American voters with his usual "what if" remarks that leave us to conclude that Armageddon is only weeks away.