USC GOP

On Friday, the Iranian people will go to the polls to elect a president who has some say in the internal affairs of Iran, but is always under the thumb of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Guardian Council (the Shi'ite Islamic law watchdog). With high unemployment and a low standard of living, the Iranian people are getting antsy. However, the firm grip that the religious sphere has on the strings of power in Iran will prevent that country from seeing any real meaningful reform.

The odd thing about all this is the lack of a discussion by the MSM on Iran's role in sponsoring terrorism in Iraq. Even the Financial Times is afraid of dealing with this important part of the international puzzle although it does offer an interesting candidate profile section.

The oddest bit in the coverage of the Iranian elections is the San Francisco Chronicle's decision to sean an oddball actor, Sean Penn, to "cover" the elections for the paper. I realize that Penn is a friend of the editor of the newspaper, but is really the most qualified person to do insightful reporting on this part of the world given his past record of anti-Americanism?

In Editor and Publisher, Penn shows his ignorance when he laments that when Iranians chant "Death to America" during their prayer sessions, they are sending the wrong message in that "the message goes to the American people and is interpreted very literally."

HELLO, Sean! They mean it literally!

My prediction is that the winner of the election will pay lip service to being a positive member of the world community and will engage in "talks." However, my best guess is that the actions of Iran will not likely change for the better for those in Iran or those outside who fall victim to their state-sponsored terrorism.