Wampum

Hossein Derakhshan ("Hoder") mentioned something recently that's been nagging me for years, and not too long after Juan Cole wrote a note to the same point. Hossein's piece is a critique of the Rafsanjanists, both in Iran and in exile. Juan's piece is a critique of the War Hawks who lead in funds raised in both the RNC and DNC presidential horse races.

Hossein is concerned that the Democrats are more sophisticated, and therefore more dangerous, than the simpler Republicans. Juan is concerned that the front-runners in both major parties are messaging "regime change" in Iran, that war with Iran is the litmus test of the 2008 cycle.

Iran was the war Jimmy Carter declined. It is the war the "ultras", to adopt Selig Harrison's term in this month's Le Monde Diplomatique, are in bi-partisan agreement to embark upon, at some unspecified date in the post-election future.

Here is a litmus test. Check the pH of your candidate of choice:

Iran is a legitimate, democratic, and sovereign state

There are three claims: (i) legitimate, (ii) democratic, and (iii) sovereign. Which does your candidate of choice contest, and what is the gravaman of the candidate's claim?

Which of (i) does s/he prefer? The royalist claims of Reza Pahlavi, aka "His Imperial Majesty Reza Shah II"? The resistance claims of Massoud and Maryam Rajavi? After all, the standard PMOI/MEK text that the West needs to go to war with Iran in order to install the MEK in power. Those two sets of claims exhaust the expat claims to delegitimate the Islamic Republic, leaving only ... the political movements, secular reform and clerical reform, of Mostafa Moin and Mehdi Karroubi, respectively, and former Presidents Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami ... each of whom supports claims (i), (ii), and (iii).

Perhaps (ii)? So the major gains made by the Reform slate in the December 2006 municipal elections, winning or controlling over 250 town or city councils, pasting Ahmadinejad's "Sweet smell of service" slate, or the win by independent and reform candidates to the open seats in the 7th Majlis, or the lead the Qom Theological Society Teachers slate obtained over Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Theological Schools and Universities Experts slate, the high point of which was the 400,000 vote margin Akbar Hashemi Bahramani Rafsanjani obtained over the next highest candidate, with Ahmadinejad's candidate, Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi, placing 6th, and almost not being elected to the Assembly of Experts at all, are gefilte fish?

That leaves (iii).

In case I've lost anyone, is there a Democrat competing in the current DNC primary and caucus cycle who messages that US -- Iran relations will, under his or her watch, be relations between two legitimate, democratic, and sovereign states?

If not, then Hoder is right, and Juan drew the Iran Hawk line too high, and ... the Iran War will not be prevented by impeaching Bush or Cheney or pinioning their wings until noon, January 20th, 2009. Merely delayed.

About 150 members of Congress signed a letter in 2002 attempting to get the Rajavi cult off the Foreign Terrorist Organization list. I'm looking for the names and I'll publish them when I find it.