Springtime for Mahmoud

Photo of Mark Finkelstein.

Diane Sawyer sat down to ask Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [MA] some tough questions today, and a weather report broke out. Having spent last week in Syria, Diane is now in Iran on the second leg of her All-Dictator Tour. She began her interview of MA, televised on this morning's GMA, by asking him "are you sending Iranian weapons into Iraq?"

In lieu of an answer, MA went Sam Champion on Sawyer: "Let me first say good morning to our viewers all over the states and its good people, and let me tell them that we have spring weather here in Tehran, and I hope it will be spring all over the world."

He stopped just short of giving a shout-out to his homies Parvin, Roshan and Farzan in Bel-Air.

What followed was a series of non-denial denials that were laughable in their evasiveness.

View edited video clip here.

"We shy away from any kind of conflict, any kind of bloodshed." So shy, that Mahmoud, the guy who has repeatedly threatened the U.S. and vowed to wipe Israel off the map.

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He then subscribed to the DNC approach to conflict resolution: "The world's problems can be solved through dialogue, through the use of logic and a sense of friendship. There is no need for the use of force."

MA then flashed his famous sense of humor, claiming that "Iraq during the period Saddam was in power had a very good relationship with its neigbhors. We have had a very good relationship with Iraq."

Yes, Iran's relationship with Saddam was a model of friendship -- if you overlook the minor matter of the savage eight-year long war between the two countries in which over a million people perished. And of course Saddam had a "very good relationship" with another of his neighbors -- Kuwait. So good, in fact that Saddam was willing to invade it in order to make it the 19th Iraqi province.

MA then manifested humanitarian concern of Jimmy Carteresque proportion. "We will be sad to see people get killed, no matter who they are. It could be Iraqis, we get sad when we hear they get killed, or anyone who is brought there by force and is put in the middle of a conflict."

When Sawyer offered to show MA documents indicating that the weapons found in Iraq are Iranian, he replied with yet another non sequitur: "More than 160,000 American troops are in Iraq, hundreds of aircraft and helicopters. What are they doing in Iraq?"

Diane tried again, asking with an incredulous tone: "Are you saying there are no Iranian weapons in Iraq?"

MA offered a non-answer so lame it would have gotten him thrown out of the high school debating club: "You see, the position of the government is important. We are opposed to any kind of conflict in Iraq. This is not in our advantage. Anyone who gets killed, we will be sad. It's not important from which religion they are. Can Americans close their long borders? No. But we are opposed to any kind of conflict and also the presence of foreign forces in Iraq and that's why we are opposed to the presence of Americans. We'll tell them: leave the country, and any other foreigner should leave the country, and there should be no foreigner in Iraq, and then you see that you have peace in Iraq."

Jack Murtha couldn't have said it better himself.

When Sawyer broached the topic of the Iranians that US forces had arrested in Iraq, apparently in possession of documents suggesting they were involved in training insurgents, MA went into ACLU mode: "I don't think that in the legal system of the U.S., you have this postulation, that if you arrest someone, you have automatically accused someone. Only people who have committed something wrong can be taken to court. I think this was childish of the U.S. government to do something like that, arresting defenseless people, not allowing them to talk to anyone, and just publishing information in a kind of biased way."

Replied MA when Sawyer flatly asked whether Iranians in Iraq are training militia: "I do not know what you mean by militia."

I guess it depends on what the meaning of militia is.

Mahmoud did manifest one small lapse of his vaunted politesse. Sawyer asked MA if he agreed with the statement by the Iraqi government that if the U.S. pulls out right away, there will be chaos in Iraq, inquiring further as to what he thinks the timetable should be.

MA: "Well, are you here to solve the problem of the American government in Iraq?"

Sawyer: "I'm hoping that you can help solve the problem in Iraq."

MA: "Well, these are some points that must be discussed at the diplomatic level. You're just a journalist."

Just a journalist? Hey, Mahmoud! Where we come from, the MSM has a lot more power than a mere Secretary of State!

Mark was in Iraq in November. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net







—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.


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Has anyone read The Art of Wa

Has anyone read The Art of War, by Sun Tzu? This is right up its alley--present a situation for the enemy to lure them into your bigger plan.

I hope we can see the wolf in sheeps clothing.

Speaking of clothing, what is Sawyer wearing?

Can we make it official - Ter

Can we make it official - Terhan Diane. Damascus Diane, or Syria Sawyer?

Poor MA - he was trying to make a put-down, DS took it as a compliment, being called a journalist - if only.

There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad V

Isn't Diane showing a tad b

Isn't Diane showing a tad too much blonde hair? I'm surprised Mahmy let her out of the interview without a proper caining.

"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...

...nothing from the fems so f

...nothing from the fems so far on this head gear - but still plenty against the evils of GWB's fight to get rid of it all : ) !!!

Just ask the burka chicks...

I challenge these so-called "peace-activists" to organize JUST ONE MAJOR D.C. PROTEST AGAINST AL QUEDA by the end of 2007...

We should bomb the hell out o

We should bomb the hell out of Tehran  and all nuclear facilities in Iran....simple stuff.....

Great commentary from up North:

The Trouble With Peace

A lot of people, attributing the current conflicts in the Middle East to either religion or oil, believe they don't really have a dog in the fight. What cannot be ignored, however is that a paroxysm of religious strife has broken out in the Middle East and it is exporting death and terror in the name of Allah.

Still angry over the defeat in 732 A.D. at Poitiers, France that stopped their northward conquest of Europe and the Crusades that followed from 1095 to 1291, the Arabs of the Middle East have taken the temperature of the West today and concluded that it's time for a big comeback. Either through birthrates in Europe or the use of terror from Bali to Manhattan, they have concluded it's time to try once again to be the ones who run the world.

Considering how little previous generations of these Arabs or Islam have contributed to modern civilization this seems astonishingly arrogant. The modern world is entirely the creation of the West.

The West of today, wanting only to purchase the latest ingenious new gadget and wishing to avoid warfare at all costs, cannot ignore a declared war even if it wants to.

The "neocons" have been disgraced and some have been driven from office. The President has been chastised by the loss of his party's power in Congress and the Democrat leadership is in full cry to abandon the war in Iraq.

In blunt terms, it cannot be done. We live our lives forward, not retreating into the past. As such, men who we entrust with power have no choice but to exercise it today with the hope it will work out tomorrow.

Tomorrow, in the case of the Middle East, is going to be a very long time. It operates out of a medieval mentality, a tribal allegiance, and a religion that has not changed since its inception in the seventh century. We are not dealing with modern men even if they employ modern technology.

America wants to rest from a war it did not start and wants to end. We have discovered that we need to build up our troop strength. The reluctance of several previous presidents to engage the enemy has cost us 3,000 American lives on 9/11 and quite a few in the years leading up to it.

We have reached a point where we continue to ignore the millions of Mexicans and others from south of the border who have literally been invading our nation for years. We're Americans. We want to buy a new car, a flat-screen television, a worldwide warehouse of stuff! Why won't they leave us alone?

We are tired of hearing and reading bad news out of Iraq because our news media will not give us any good news. We're Americans. We want and expect a happy ending. Just like in the movies, but this isn't the movies. It's realtime, real people, it's real life and death.

Iraq, like the whole of the Middle East is just one giant sinkhole of all our expectations. So we want to leave, but we can't because, if we do, some astonishingly evil people might end up in charge. They cut off people's heads. They have been doing this since the days of Mohammed, the self-proclaimed final prophet of God.The difficulty of achieving peace is that it requires everyone to agree to it. Wars, whether initiated by a religion or the naked desire to acquire land, resources, and power are still wars. Winners are determined by who is willing to resist and, beyond that, to destroy the will of the enemy to continue.

Failure, for America, Israel, and the West is literally not an option. Like the canary in the coalmine, what happens to Israel will happen to us.

The great empire of Rome discovered what happens when citizens do not want to defend what they have. They began to rely on armies made up increasingly of people they called barbarians. Tired of endless conquest and occupation, the citizens of Rome discovered one day those barbarians were at their gates. They sacked Rome. The Dark Ages followed.

I do not know what the President will do in these final two years of office, but if George W. Bush decides to reduce large portions of Baghdad to rubble or obliterate big chunks of Iran, history will likely say he was right to do so.

Nowhere to Run....Nowhere To Hide.....

"We are tired of hearing

"We are tired of hearing and reading bad news out of Iraq because our news media will not give us any good news."

This is the crux of the problem. We have a so-called MSM that cares more about the future and ascendancy of their beloved Democrat party than they do about the WoT or America's security and future. Good news from the middle east, a win or the appearance of winning in Iraq is pure cancer to the MSM because it translates into confidence in the President and confidence in the GOP which the Democrat party simply cannot have if they expect to keep congress and take the WH. So the MSM is doing it's best to downplay the war in Iraq, regularly excoriate the administration and highlight any Republican wrong-doing while studiously ignoring all Democrat wrong-doing.  Furthermore, we have a president whose right on the WoT but doesn't see fit to take his case to the American people on a consistent basis like FDR did during the WWII. Bush has left the task of "selling"  and "promoting" to his supporters which appear to be dwindeling. As a result, the media has stepped in the fill in all the silent airspace with regular anti-war rhetoric without a shred of balance ---with the exception of FOX News.

donsales and winston

donsales and winston- Both of your blogs are fantastic--right on the money. Now, if we can only wake up another couple of million Americans who are sitting on their fat asses trusting the MSM and the government to do what's right, we may stand a chance of saving America.

Good job, guys!

An ugly American is one who does not support his country.

Sawyer: "I'm hoping th

Sawyer: "I'm hoping that you can help solve the problem in Iraq."

One has to wonder exactly what did Ms. Sawyer mean by asking this question. It would be interesting to know what she believes the "problem" in Iraq really is, and I'm wagering that, in her mind, it is not going to be the "insurgents."

I hate newspapermen.....I regard them as spies.....If I killed them all there would be news from Hell before breakfast. -Gen. William T. Sherman

Infidel, pig woman

Infidel, pig woman and even worse than that , you, you, -journalist! When we take over Iraq, if you are there I will have you stoned. You have not covered enough of your face to be acceptable to me, but it is not a religious issue, it's just you!

"Truth exists, only falsehoods must be invented."

How many lives lost will it

How many lives lost will it take for the US to realize that 1)not only is Mahmoud and crazed nut with nukes, 2)We're responding too late to Iran?

It just amazes me when America thinks that the biggest problems of our country today is global warming, something we can't control in the slightest, and not evil dictators that aren't afraid to push the button and murder millions of people without feeling guilty, which is something/one we CAN control.

Were the Democrats simply one hit wonders when it came to winning wars? Now they want nothing to do with it?

....you, you, -journalist!m

....you, you, -journalist!

mb,

LOL-That accusation is a little, uhh, harsh, don't you think? :-^)

I hate newspapermen.....I regard them as spies.....If I killed them all there would be news from Hell before breakfast. -Gen. William T. Sherman

Late response

Late response--had to get my teeth cleaned. They both look good now, so I am back. A definition of journalism:

"writing that reflects superficial thought and research, a popular slant, and hurried composition, conceived of as exemplifying topical newspaper or popular magazine writing as distinguished from scholarly writing: He calls himself a historian, but his books are mere journalism."

She is a journalist (superficial). Her pieces are certainly far from scholarly.

"Truth exists, only falsehoods must be invented."

To the tune of "Springti

To the tune of "Springtime, for Hitler in Germany".

"Springtime for Mahmoud in Iran".

Ah Diane Sawyer! The Ava Braun of Islamofacism.

So absurd.

"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.”   H.L. Mencken

I can see "Springtime

I can see "Springtime for Machmoud" being extended into an entire song by some of our more skilled parodists or those on FreeRepublic.

Here's a start:Springtime f

Here's a start:

Springtime for Mahmoud, in Tehran
Iran is happy and gay!
We're marching to a faster jam
Look out, here comes the 12th Imam!
Springtime for Mahmoud in Tehran
Tehran's a fine land once more!
Springtime for Mahmoud in Tehran
Watch out, Iraq
We're going on tour!
Springtime for Mahmoud in Tehran...

I'd give it a 95, was easy to

I'd give it a 95, was easy to dance to but it sounded a little political! (that's for the rest of you oldsters out there who remember AB) Thanks Mark - a little taste of the "Producers" makes the day go -

There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad V

OrSpringtime for Mahmoud in T

Or

Springtime for Mahmoud in Teheran.

Iran is happy and gay.

Iran is marching for nuclear capacity.

Here comes our world mastery.   

"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.”   H.L. Mencken

LOL very good Mark!

LOL very good Mark!

A poem for Mahmoud

Springtime for Mahmoud

Has not been so good

Since an infidel with a hood

Asked questions that were rude

I do not wish to answer

I am a graceful dancer

Why don't you take a chance

And see if Russia or France

Have not enriched their coffers

By accepting big money offers

To provide to Al Qaeda

Weapons for their fighters.

It will then relieve the onus

And I will collect a bonus

For diverting your nose for news

Up under your burnoose

An ugly American is one who does not support his country.

 

 

 

Funny Mark --The theme toon

Funny Mark --

The theme toon for the hit Iranian musical comedy appearing on Jihadway...

The Deniers

Don't be stupid, be a smarty, come and join the Jihad party

If Mel Brooks wasn't alive, he'd be spinning in his grave.

"Our readers don't give a rat's ass about what you think. They want facts."

Elmore Leonard, 'The Hot Kid'.

"Don't be stupid, be a s

"Don't be stupid, be a smarty, come and join the Jihad Party"

I like.

"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.”   H.L. Mencken

First of all, I'm sorry I mis

First of all, I'm sorry I missed out on the Beatles thread. After reading it I realized I must be one of the geriatrics around here and a liberal at that. Daltry over Lennon? Whoa...

Why is it all the "liberal" journalists end up interviewing all the bad guys? Why doesn't Sean Hannity or Brit Hume interview Ahmadinejad? I'm grateful to get any insight to hear what these freaks are thinking. I would have loved to hear or see an interview with Hitler.
What ever happened to the Don Corleone theory of keep your friends close and your enemies closer?

It's so obvious Diane Sawyer

It's so obvious Diane Sawyer is against the military in this segment, she knows this loser will never expose the truths about Iran and their support for terror in Iraq and around the world.  What a dumb question and interview.  I believe we should bomb Iran so bad they never mess with the U.S. again. 

This has got to stop before it's too late....

I hate liberals.... I really do....

"You're just a journalist"

Oh MAN, I bet Diane's heart stopped! No one in the pander-packed halls of Congress or at either end of Pa Ave would EVER dare just say those words!

OUCH

This "journalistic"

This "journalistic" interview produced just what I thought it would---non-answers to questions from half-birkaed Diane.

I don't know if he "took the DNC approach to conflict resolution" but he sure took their lead to answering questions.

What I really wanted to know, Diane, is just what does Mahmoud have in his iPod?  Talk about journalistic lameness!

Diane Sawyer

If old Diane was really  brave, she would take off that head cover while interviewing him.

Sawyer

MA wouldn't shake her hand. Neither would I. Sawyer in an ignorant traitor and a useful idiot giving credibility and a platform to a lying enemy of America. May she burn in Hell.

NEVER, NEVER trust a liberal 

V - We must have redeployed already MSM anchors now wear burkas

 V - We must have redeployed already. MSM anchors now wear burkas.

I didn't realize we lost the war already. Wow.  Those Dems move quickly dont they?

I am now very afraid after seeing one of my great MSM anchors on TV wearing a burka.

Is WalMart selling these yet?  I hope so.  I need to hurry and find some for my daughters.

V for Victory

Take note of how Diane is thr

Take note of how Diane is throwing it back in his face by wearing a flashy decorative eastern european style head scarf instead of the traditional black burka. Is she provoking them, or just being insensitive of their culture. This is why we are so hated around the globe.

muh-oon

I disagree--Diane does not have that courage. As a matter of fact, she is condescending to their customs through a halfway gesture, the wearing of the scarf. You are one of those who would show what a great diplomat you are by exercising their customs rather than yours. You are the kind that makes us hated around the world. One does not win world importance by butt-kissing.

If I were in your view I would muh-oon you and your opinion.

"Truth exists, only falsehoods must be invented."

Sorry, I should have indicat

Sorry, I should have indicated that my post was sarcasm. I was just trying to throw the "hated around the globe" thing back at the media.
But I did get a good laugh out of the "muh-oon you" line.

Muh-oon -I apologize.

Muh-oon    -I apologize. And Thuh-hanks!

An ugly American is one who does not support his country.

V - Diane will wave Confederate Flag in KKK interview

 V - Diane will wave Confederate Flag in KKK interview

News flash: Diane Sawyer to wave Stars and Bars flag in interview of KKK Grand Dragon.

Thanks to those pointing ou

Thanks to those pointing out the scarf.

That's pretty damned outrageous, isn't it. Kowtowing like that, in public.

Don't misunderstand, if she went to a mosque -- or a synagogue, or a church, it's reasonable to follow the traditions of that institution.

But interviewing President Imanutzindahed in his bunker? So much for feminism.

"Our readers don't give a rat's ass about what you think. They want facts."

Elmore Leonard, 'The Hot Kid'.

Synonyms

Synonyms  - Many words above have  the ring of "I did not have a  relationship with that woman". Why don't we send Willie over for a ten month conference with Ahmoud, they will wear each other out.

"Truth exists, only falsehoods must be invented."

Clearly a graduate of the Cli

Clearly a graduate of the Clinton School of Tapdancing.

Why didn't he just lie?  Equally (non)substantive and less effort.

"are you sending Iranian weapons into Iraq?"

"are you sending Iranian weapons into Iraq?"

No, silly beast of childbearing, only Russian and Chineses weapons. France is delivering their weapons themselves.

"Truth exists, only falsehoods must be invented."

A couple of thoughts…The ne

A couple of thoughts…

The next time I encounter one of those tree-hugging peace-niks who thinks any conflict can be resolved with dialogue I’ll ask them to study this “interview”carefully. This guys eyes are brown for a good reason and the idea that “a diplomat” would fare better is ridiculous.

Also, I’m wondering if there is a bookmaker anywhere who might offer something more than a point and a half on the proposition that within the next 72 hours this lunatic is out publicly casigating the “Zionist West” and calling for the obliteration of Israel. I’m not the gambling type, but if the numbers were right, I might put $20 on the counter.

Ah, better spent with a donation to MRC.

Well, at least he did not fol

Well, at least he did not follow that last statement up with, "And you're just a woman."

On another note: It is a good thing that a person has to be a natural born citizen to run for President here in the USA. I am sure this interview made many US Democrats drool with want for him to run our nation (and yes I mean "run"). As it is, the Dems believe they hit pay-day, the day Obama announced that he is running.

::: gagging :::

What's with the headgear? D

What's with the headgear? Does she not know the word "dhimmi"? Apparently not. And she thinks SHE can negotiate? Amadinnerjacket certainly put her in her place - we have a STATE department for diplomacy, you useful tool.
WhatAMaroon

Diane Sawyer is just anothe

Diane Sawyer is just another affirmative action hire and she demonstrated her acumen with her questions to Ahmadinejad with little if any effort to follow up to his outrageous answers.

She should have told him she was insulted with his obvious non answers but just sat there and acted like everything was just ducky.

What an useful idiot.

She is an embarrassment to America and the fact she dressed with the head scarf tells you volumes about her diminutude.

Is this Mexico or the USA

If America is the target of

If America is the target of a nuclear attack by Iran, Diane Sawyer and others like her bear direct responsibilty, IMHO.

Sawyer / Ahmaddinejad

Lady D please take the headdress off real journalist before you have done it.