Posted on 09/22/2008 5:47:42 PM PDT by markomalley
It may be political poison for U.S. government officials to talk to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but the taboo does not extend to NPR.
NPR’s Steve Inskeep interviewed the controversial leader this afternoon in New York and pulled no punches. Ahmadinejad is in the United States to address the United Nation’s General Assembly, which is meeting this week.
In an often heated conversation, according to the transcript, Inskeep confronts Ahmadinejad on Israel, “wiping countries off the map and chopping off hands” — and the Beatles and Led Zeppelin.
Ahmadinejad, for his part, denies that Iran has provoked the United States, and instead calls the U.S. the aggressor. “I think it’s necessary to open up a bit regarding the relations between Iran and the United States,” he explains. He challenges Inskeep to define the “international community” that opposes Iran’s actions, and he alleges that the U.S. and a small group of allies claim to represent global opinion on Iran, whereas in reality most countries are behind Iran.
Here’s the full transcript. The interview will air tomorrow, Tuesday, on the show “Morning Edition.” Audio will be available on NPR.org tomorrow morning.
Should not be giving this criminal the time of day, much less an interview.
Why don’t we just waste the dude
Ugh... why are my taxes paying for this garbage.
It's not a bad thing for NPR to let Ahmadinejad speak. The truth will out. Just look at how little credibility he had when he spoke at Columbia - the students ended up laughing at him.
Ahmadinejad: And who exactly are you referring to when you say the international community?NPR: When I speak of the international community, I would speak of the United States; I would speak of European nations that have urged Iran to change its nuclear policies. I would speak of Russia, which has made proposals; I would speak of China, which has been involved. I could go on for quite some time.
Ahmadinejad: What right do they have to make such demands on us? Based on what legal system or what international regulation and law? Exactly where do they find the legal basis to demand such things from our people? Whilst they are enjoying nuclear energy, they are telling us not to?
"No controlling legal authority..." - VP Albert Gore Junior.
Is it too much to ask (especially in these economic times), that the U.S. taxpayer not have to subsidize this anti- American bilge that is NPR?
They also cheered almost everything else he had to say. The amount of reverence these brats had for Hitler 2 was beyond disgusting.
I’d like to see Todd Palin get a hold of Ahmedinejad and wring his scrawny little neck.
Todd is not needed, Sarah could kick his scrawny Islamic ass right back to Tehran.
“57 member states of the OIC, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, too have supported our position.” - Iranian Nutjob
“Over the last 15 months, we’ve traveled to every corner of the United States. I’ve now been in 57 states? I think one left to go.” - Sen. Barack Obama
“Eight countries of the G-8 group have actually supported us.” - Iranian Nutjob
The Group of Eight (G8, and formerly the (G6) or Group of Six) is an international forum for the governments of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States - Wikiepedia.
So I guess the United States supported him???
Ahmadinejad: Why is it that the U.S. administration and two or three groups that follow it allow themselves to speak for the world?
Population of United States: 305,219,000
Population of Europe: (Germany 82,169,000; France 64,473,140; United Kingdom 61,186,000; Italy 59,619,290; Spain 46,063,500; Poland 38,115,967; Belgium 10,666,866; Hungary 10,035,000; Denmark 5,489,022; Ireland 4,422,100...
Population of Russia: 141,815,000
Population of China: 1,326,230,000
The above figure (hardly inclusive of Europe or the rest of our allies) is over 2,155,503,885. But really that is just a few people who don't matter in the eyes of an Iranian dictator. World Population: 6,725,100,000
NPR: Let me delve into two more areas. As you know, Mr. President, you are known in much of the world, and not only in the United States, as the man who wants to “wipe Israel off the map.” Are you?
Ahmadinejad: Is the problem of the U.S. government the Zionist regime?
I wonder if Sen. Obama will also answer a question with a question in the debates.
Because the Democrats, an the Jew’s some how want This dude around.
“Let me create an analogy here — where exactly is the Soviet Union today? It did disappear. Exactly how? It was through the vote of its own people.”
I see he believe the BullStalin that Ronald Reagan had nothing to do with it. It was ALL Gorby.
“For over 25 years under the dictatorship, hundreds of thousands of our people went to prison and spent time there, whilst our oil was being looted by American companies. Our people were demeaned. Our independence was harmed. Until the Iranian people rose [in] a popular and democratic event to create the Islamic revolution.”
“Let me create an analogy here — where exactly is the Soviet Union today? It did disappear. Exactly how? It was through the vote of its own people. So therefore in Palestine we must allow the people, the Palestinians, to determine their own future.”
So does this mean that the Iranian people who OPPOSE the current government should be given a right to voice their opinions and a vote in opposition? Don’t make me laugh to suggest that he would support public discourse from the democratic opposition.
LLS
Actually... I do monkeys an injustice comparing them.
LLS
The Beatles and Led Zeppelin line in the snipe is just a come on to get the audience to listen through the mess. There is no pay off. They are only listed in an open question BY the NPR staffer and never answered.
Correct it was only when he was politically incorrect with homosexuals “we don’t have this problem” that the audience had to acknowledge that their American hating dictator wore no clothes.
This was the same crowd who rioted when the Minutemen tried to speak at an event they were INVITED to appear at.
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