Posted on 09/24/2012 5:08:09 PM PDT by markomalley
The previews of CNN host Piers Morgan’s interview with the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, look highly entertaining. In the previews, Morgan presses Ahmadinejad hard on the issue of the taboo of homosexuality in Iran and, in previews on Monday, Morgan claimed that he pursued pressing issues like Israeli-Iranian relations. But in Ahmadinejad’s speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, the Iranian leader made a mockery of even the exercise of exposing Ahmadinejad to a pliant and credulous Western media.
In the clip which Morgan previewed on CNN on Monday, he challenged Ahmadinejad rather forcefully on the issue of homosexuality – a high crime in Iran, theoretically punishable by death.
The two argued forcefully over the rights of gay men and women, which are seriously curtailed in the Islamic Republic. In fact, the United Nations’ own Human Rights Committee has recommended Iran seriously consider amending its laws pertaining to homosexuality after having found that Iran’s laws violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
This type of human rights-related celebrity cause is easy to drum up indignation over. There will be no blowback from the progressive members of the nation’s news media for advocating for homosexual freedoms and human rights too forcefully.
However, I was a touch disturbed that the pull clip which CNN chose to show to promote this interview had nothing to do with the single most pressing global security issue of our time – Iran’s rapid nuclearization and the imminent threat of a preemptive Israeli strike on Iran’s enrichment facilities. Having not seen the interview, I opted to withhold judgment. But as the preview of Morgan’s interview on CNN wore on, my faith that this most dire of issues would be seriously addressed continued to wan.
My doubts about the integrity of the interview were further eroded when Morgan concluded his pitch by saying, with palpable astonishment, that Ahmadinejad’s perceived animosity towards Israel is the result of a simple misunderstanding.
“He clarified this statement that he made, which caused a huge furor at the time, which was that he wanted to wipe Israel off the map,” said Morgan. “When I really pressed him on this tonight, he says – really, what he implies what he meant – was that he wanted to wipe, as he put it, the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land off the map.”
Oh, there you go. A bit of a blooper. Merely a case of crossed signals. In fact, the confusion was really the fault of the West – maybe a failure of Farsi to English translation. If only those pesky Israelis would do something drastic, like unilaterally drag citizens from their homes, kicking and screaming, in order to placate international pressure groups… Wait, that didn’t work the first time?
Morgan seems to have accepted this explanation at faith value – as though Ahmadinejad’s remark was a poorly reported, one-time gaffe or a rhetorical stretch to placate an irrational constituency back home. It was not. This has been a rallying cry that Iran’s theocratic leaders found to be a guiding principle which qualified Ahmadinejad for the presidency in 2005. Futhermore, it is a threat that he has repeated countless times (though, the Anti-Defamation League has a decent running list).
The most recent being today in his speech before the United Nations General Assembly.
“Iran has been around for the last seven, 10 thousand years. They (the Israelis) have been occupying those territories for the last 60 to 70 years, with the support and force of the Westerners. They have no roots there in history,” Ahmadinejad said, ominously. “We don’t even count them as any part of any equation for Iran. During a historical phase, they (the Israelis) represent minimal disturbances that come into the picture and are then eliminated.”
Again, I have not seen Morgan’s interview and I hesitate to prejudge it. Perhaps Morgan presses Ahmadinejad on the implications that his treats have for global security and that his remarks by themselves represent an irresponsible provocation – his constituency be damned. Maybe Morgan does not let Ahmadinejad’s clarification stand and follows up by asking why he has multiple times referred to Israel as a “tumor” on the body of the Middle East that must be excised. Maybe Morgan asks why Ahmadinejad has so often denied that the Holocaust even occurred. Maybe Morgan asks why Ahmadinejad presides over the globe’s number one exporter of terror that has regularly waged terror campaigns pinside Israel and is linked to an attempted attack on U.S. soil less than one year ago.
Or maybe he just found him “charming.” Tonight, we will see. Many will be watching.
The two argued forcefully over the rights of gay men and women, which are seriously curtailed in the Islamic Republic. In fact, the United Nations’ own Human Rights Committee has recommended Iran seriously consider amending its laws pertaining to homosexuality after having found that Iran’s laws violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
with all that is wrong with the world today, especially the middle east, this dipsh!t has to press Imadinnerjacket’s buttons arguing about how his country treats homos. That just cemented how stupid we American are to this idiot.
Liberal Rats are the ones supporting Islamic totalitarianism.
Liberal Rats are are also heavily controlled by gays.
Creating cognitive dissonance in liberal Rats about what position to take between gays and murdering muslims can't help but be good.
But a charming man, none the less.
Yeah Isn’t Mr. Imanutjob cute, poor thing.
Only a fool would be more worried about getting sexual perverts rights than the existence of an entire country.
” was that he wanted to wipe, as he put it, the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land off the map.”
Morgan is an apologist fool. Imadamnjerk considers ALL of Israel to be Palistinian land,
Problem with the lieberal mind is how they cannot face reality and lie to themselves. Poo-pooing the worst of the worst and having utter contempt for the best.
Pardon this blunt assessment...
Ha ha now THAT is funny.
Morgan is rather a dim bulb.
Ahmadinejad and every other muslim considers Israel itself, Israel proper, to be occupied muslim land. In other words, Ahmadinejad just repeated right back to Morgan what he said before. He wants to wipe Israel off the map.
Morgan hears what he wants to hear and thinks the charming Ahmadinejad is simply misunderstood. You wonder how a guy gets to be where he is knowing so little about the world he lives in.
Ahmadinejad said, ominously. “We don’t even count them as any part of any equation for Iran. During a historical phase, they (the Israelis) represent minimal disturbances that come into the picture and are then eliminated.”
Kind of like a “bump in the road”?
Are western freedoms just minimal disturbances
that need to be eliminated?
This evil man from the pit of hell comes to our soil, insults American Jews and lives to talk about it...WHY???? Why is he still walking our streets like a peacock pissing on our soil and IS STILL WALKING and talking?? What’s wrong with this picture?!!!
Charming or not, hope this Piers Morgan realizes that mini-nejad & his ilks find people like PM stupid, naive & worthy of being mocked.
My God, I wouldn’t even give this terrorist the time of day! It’s a disgrace! Leave it to the Communist News Network to make it happen.
Charm is not a virtue- it’s a personality characteristic.
Ted Bundy was charming. Bill Clinton is charming.
Piers Morgan? He’s just vacant.
What Morgan thinks is irrelevant. Jews in this country still vote overwhelmingly for Democrats and Obama. They have more skin in the game.
"The New York Post on Sunday offered Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a basket brimming with distinctively Jewish delicacies, stating that it hoped to "take the edge off his bloodthirsty desire to develop nuclear weapons and wipe Israel off the map."
The welcome basket came just a day after the Iranian president was greeted by dozens of demonstrators who gathered outside New York's upscale Warwick hotel to protest his attendance at the United Nations General Assembly meeting.
The crowd chanted “Keep Ahmadinejad out of New York!", while others held anti-Iranian-regime signs outside the Manhattan hotel.
The Holocaust-denying Ahmadinejad, who claims the US government orchestrated the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, is expected to be in New York until at least Wednesday, when he is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly. The Post was sure to include a brochure for downtown New York's Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.
The basket also contained US-made paraphernalia, including "I ♥ New York underwear" and a stick of deodorant "to keep the flies away," the Post article stated. Ahmadinejad also was given tickets to Jewish off-Broadway shows, and an assortment of Jewish staple products, including Gold’s Borscht, Manischewitz Gefilte Fish, H&H bagels, onion bialys and Zabar’s cream cheese.
Alas, the Iranian president did not receive his gifts, as the US Secret Service prevented the Post from delivering the welcome basket."
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