just kidding guys, "we like everyone"

Ahmedinejad, apparently convinced by someone that referring to large swaths (somewhere in, let's say, the hundreds of thousands) of his countrymen as "dust" and disappointed soccer fans was perhaps not the best idea, attempted to soften the barbs of his former remarks by issuing the following somewhat conciliatory statement:

I only addressed those who made riot, set fires and attacked people. Every single Iranian is valuable. The government is at everyone's service. We like everyone.

Meanwhile, however, increasing speculation about the fact that ahmedinejad has not been seen in public since monday suggests that he is not quite so confident that everyone likes him.

iranian protests continue

The proverbial shit appears to be hitting the fan as Iranian protests continue into their fifth day. Sparked by the questionable results of Friday's election (the latest rumor claims that leaked election results actually show Mousavi as the landslide victor) that left the presidency in the hands of Ahmadinejad with an alleged victory granting him 62% of the vote (a puzzling outcome considering the fact that the four-candidate election was thought likely to force a run-off), these protests mark the largest antigovernment demonstrates since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Iranian government has responded in ways both expected (expelling journalists, arresting opposition leaders, blaming foreign elements for the disturbances) and less so (Ayatollah Khamanei has emerged from the shadows to publicly alter his initial steadfast support of the legitimacy of the election results). Naturally, Khamanei's decision to permit the investigation of the vote is likely an empty gesture intended to buy time in the hopes that the protesters will eventually cool off. However, such a public reversal from the country's Supreme Leader, who as the ultimate religious authority supercedes that of the president tends to remain above the political fray, may serve to cast further doubt on the legitimacy of the regime.

Of course, one aspect of these events remains refreshingly familiar. Ahmadinejad's predisposition toward offensive and inflammatory rhetoric marches on (apparently Mousavi supporters did not take well to having their protests compared to the actions of disappointed soccer fans, who would have thunk?)