In USA Today, there's a column in which a former correspondent for the NY Times assails President Trump for his statements made in Riyadh about the behavior of Iran. After all, says columnist David Andelman, Iran just re-elected a "moderate" as president ("Rouhani").
The column got me to thinking about what the meaning of the word "moderate" actually is. In a land ruled by murderous thugs who seek regional hegemony and religious control, is someone a moderate if he seeks those same things but at a slower, more moderate, pace? I don't think so. When Rouhani supported the Houthi rebels in Yemen and sent them massive aid so that they could fight a massive civil war that has killed thousands, was he a moderate because he didn't send the Houthi rebels any chemical weapons (at least as far as we know)? I don't think so. Fomenting major fighting that put the nation of Yemen into total chaos isn't "moderate" even if one says nice things while doing it. Is it 'moderate" to give major support, including tens of thousands of troops, many tons of weapons and tons more of ammunition to the Assad forces in Syria even as those forces kill close to half a million civilians with every weapon imaginable (including poison gas). Rouhani has done that, but USA Today still calls him a "moderate". Was it moderate to enter into a deal with the USA that guarantees Iran a nuclear weapon in a few years and gives it hundreds of billions of dollars now? Not really!
So why would USA today call Rouhani "moderate"? The answer is very simple, and it harkens back to standard operating procedure for the media during the Obama years. Rouhani is a "moderate" in the eyes of the media because he made a deal with president Obama. It doesn't matter that the deal was one-sided in favor of Iran; Obama was involved. It doesn't matter that Iran under Rouhani started violating restrictions on missile development and testing almost the day after the deal was signed; Obama was involved, so it cannot be questioned. It doesn't matter that Rouhani still chants "Death to America" along with others in Teheran. USA Today knows that he's a moderate -- he may want to kill us but surely will do so in a humane and more moderate fashion.
Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. Iran is the principal back of the murderous Assad regime in Syria. Iran is the principal backer of the terrorist group Hezbollah. Iran has supported Shiite militias in Iraq which have killed Iraqis who happen to be Sunnis after liberating them from ISIS control. Iran is consistently violating UN Security Council resolutions that ban missile testing. Iran threatens harm to the USA and Israel (not to mention the Sunni Arab countries in the region). All of this is happening while Rouhani is president of Iran. He is NOT a moderate.
It's a sad thing that the mainstream media takes for granted that this man is a moderate without looking at his actions. It is not enough to make a deal with Obama. It is not enough to say the right thing while committing murder.
I wonder if the mainstream media will ever understand reality.
The column got me to thinking about what the meaning of the word "moderate" actually is. In a land ruled by murderous thugs who seek regional hegemony and religious control, is someone a moderate if he seeks those same things but at a slower, more moderate, pace? I don't think so. When Rouhani supported the Houthi rebels in Yemen and sent them massive aid so that they could fight a massive civil war that has killed thousands, was he a moderate because he didn't send the Houthi rebels any chemical weapons (at least as far as we know)? I don't think so. Fomenting major fighting that put the nation of Yemen into total chaos isn't "moderate" even if one says nice things while doing it. Is it 'moderate" to give major support, including tens of thousands of troops, many tons of weapons and tons more of ammunition to the Assad forces in Syria even as those forces kill close to half a million civilians with every weapon imaginable (including poison gas). Rouhani has done that, but USA Today still calls him a "moderate". Was it moderate to enter into a deal with the USA that guarantees Iran a nuclear weapon in a few years and gives it hundreds of billions of dollars now? Not really!
So why would USA today call Rouhani "moderate"? The answer is very simple, and it harkens back to standard operating procedure for the media during the Obama years. Rouhani is a "moderate" in the eyes of the media because he made a deal with president Obama. It doesn't matter that the deal was one-sided in favor of Iran; Obama was involved. It doesn't matter that Iran under Rouhani started violating restrictions on missile development and testing almost the day after the deal was signed; Obama was involved, so it cannot be questioned. It doesn't matter that Rouhani still chants "Death to America" along with others in Teheran. USA Today knows that he's a moderate -- he may want to kill us but surely will do so in a humane and more moderate fashion.
Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. Iran is the principal back of the murderous Assad regime in Syria. Iran is the principal backer of the terrorist group Hezbollah. Iran has supported Shiite militias in Iraq which have killed Iraqis who happen to be Sunnis after liberating them from ISIS control. Iran is consistently violating UN Security Council resolutions that ban missile testing. Iran threatens harm to the USA and Israel (not to mention the Sunni Arab countries in the region). All of this is happening while Rouhani is president of Iran. He is NOT a moderate.
It's a sad thing that the mainstream media takes for granted that this man is a moderate without looking at his actions. It is not enough to make a deal with Obama. It is not enough to say the right thing while committing murder.
I wonder if the mainstream media will ever understand reality.
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