Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

I get a few snarky, what-have-you-got-to-say-for-yourself-now emails on that one.

Fair enough, but please, can Americans stop being so g.d. literal in everything! We have this amazing tendency to buy everyone's propaganda when, in reality, we trust almost nothing our own leaders say. We did this with the Sovs and Mao, and now we do it with rogue leaders throughout the Gap: If they say it, it must be real!

Ask yourself why the newly-elected President of Iran feels the need to spout off so, saying he'd just as soon wipe Israel off the map.

Does anyone remember a blog post by me recently where I noted a new body being set up by the mullahs to mediate and make final decisions on any disagreements between themselves and the government? Remember who was put at the head of this almost, supreme court-like body?

Well, it was the guy that the current President beat in the election: Rafsanjani.

How would you like it if the guy you beat in a national election was just placed in such a decisive position over you? Especially if the first words out of his mouth upon elevation were to cut out the harsh talk on nukes?

I dunno. Maybe you'd shoot your mouth off big-time regarding the hard right's favorite regional whipping boy.

Boy, that is shocking! Never could have seen that one coming! Right outta right field!

If people want to get jacked up by things like this, then they need to pay more attention to the news. Not just the flaming words, but the complex, often internal dynamics that lead up to them.

So yeah, I did tell you so.