Saturday, July 02, 2005

Maybe, maybe not; but what was W doing in 1979?


Interesting news today or yesterday as the US has gotten itself into a bit of a snit over whether or not President-elect Ahmadinejad was one of the militant students who was involved in the hostage-taking at the embassy in Tehran, or as Iranians put it, The Den of Espionage. I recall the hostage-taking and the emotional roller-coaster ride that the Americans seemed to be on as they tried to resolve the dispute and ultimately run the Carter administration into the ground.

There are conflicting reports in the US about whether or not the new president is one of the hostage-takers or not with some of the former hostages saying that they don't recognize him. Bush is keen to make as much hay with this as he can after taking another hit in popularity for linked 9/11 with the current war in Iraq. The hubbub in the American media about this is just another example of how the media in particular has been helping the US government portray Iran in a poor light. I'm not naive enough to believe that the trip will be far more idyllic and peaceful than anyone fears at the moment but I've taken great comfort in the news I've heard from people who have been there about the unbridled friendliness and curiosity of Iran's people toward their visitors and guests.