Bush, Sharon to share Saddam's fate, Khamenei says

Reuters ^ | 16 Dec 2003

[yonif]

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader, in his first public comments since the capture of Saddam Hussein, said on Tuesday that George W. Bush and Israel's Ariel Sharon would suffer the same fate as the former Iraqi leader.

Addressing a crowd of thousands in the city of Qazvin, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed joy over the arrest of Saddam, who invaded Iran's fledgling Islamic republic in 1980, starting an eight-year war that left hundreds of thousands dead.

"Now that he has been captured, the Islamic world and all those who know what a savage animal he was feel delighted," Khamenei said in a speech broadcast live on state television.

"The Iraqi nation has suffered greatly under this bloodthirsty wolf. Now it is apparently free of him."

But Khamenei also used Saddam's downfall to take a swipe at Iran's two other great political enemies -- the United States and Israel -- by condemning their respective leaders, President Bush and Prime Minister Sharon.

"I heard the U.S. president saying the world is a better place without Saddam. I want the U.S. president to know that a world without Bush and Sharon is a much better place," he said.

"All of those who are ruling the world arrogantly like a dictator in the name of improving democracy and human rights... should know that they will not enjoy a better ending than Saddam," he added.

Iran's government on Monday called for Saddam to be tried in an international court and said it was preparing a case against him for crimes committed during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

[Let's Roll]

Hey, Ayatollah Ali, you're next.

[Vermont Lt]

The Iranian military will shot the Mullahs before they shoot an American GI. Most of the Iranian officers were trained in the US twenty or so years ago. They are better trained, better educated, and for the most part, not interested in taking us on.

When the time comes, they will turn on their masters pretty quickly.

When Iran goes, it will go from the inside...and amazingly quick. Just watch and see.

[kinghorse]

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Persian aristocracy thought they could kick our ass 2 thousand years ago. They still harbor the same illusions. I admire their consistency and I am sure of their convictions. But something tells me the avg Iranian isn't much interested in dying for the scraggly bearded ass of a man that passes as their great leader. Xerxes he aint.

It stands to reason the mullahs would try and leapfrog dependence on traditional support in a war with the west. Therefore their rush to stockpile WMD's is entirely logical.