The Skunk at the Party
Program Note: Tune in tonight to hear from Reza Aslan on AC360° at 10p.m. ET.
Reza Aslan
The Daily Beast
Iran’s presumptive president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, heads to New York today to once again address the United Nations General Assembly. And once again, he has prefaced his address to the world body with yet another jibe at Holocaust history.
Last Friday, during Iran’s annual Jerusalem Day festivities—an occasion for Iranians to show solidarity with Palestinians—Ahmadinejad told an assembled crowd at the University of Tehran that “the pretext for establishing the Zionist regime is a lie ... a lie which relies on an unreliable claim.”
“The occupation of Palestine has nothing to do with the Holocaust,” Ahmadinejad continued. “The very existence of this regime is an insult to the dignity of the people, but it won't last long. The Israeli regime’s days are numbered and it is on its way to collapse. This regime is dying. Fighting it is a national and religious duty. The West has launched the myth of the Holocaust but it’s a lie.”
Right on cue, the U.S. media went into hysterics—“Ahmadinejad Denies Holocaust… Again!” was the headline at The Daily Beast—just as Ahmadinejad hoped they would.
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Filed under: Iran • Mahmoud Ahmadinejad • Reza Aslan • United Nations |
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Perhaps someone should yell "you lie" when this clown starts spewing his nonsense. How can he deny the Holocaust happened? The Iranian citizens should deny he ever ran for President and put a new leader in office.
The media ought to learn how focus on Iran's current problems and quit letting this idiot manipulate them. I don't care if he believes in the holocaust or not; its not relevant to anything as its past and done and nothing will undo it. Focusing on Iran's current problems and backing him into a corner in a press conference ought to be the media's first priority because that would be real news. If he has plans for those ills of Iran you have news and if he doesn't you have news – for the media its a win all around and the plus would be showing him that he can't manipulate the press and that its smarter than he thinks it is.