The Consummate Survivor of Iran………..
“Being equivocal has served Rafsanjani well in the past - and his words this time once again led to speculation that an attempt at political compromise may be afoot between the two warring halves of the regime. "I have no doubt that those who believe in the articles of the constitution want to respect its boundaries," he declared in a barely veiled reference to the opposition. None of the leaders of the reformist opposition - Ahmadinejad's two rivals in the polls, Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, and former president Mohammed Khatami - have called for the abolition of the republic and have, in fact, framed their protests as part of the legacy of the Islamic revolution's founding father, the late Ayatullah Khomeini. Part of Rafsanjani's effectiveness is the system's inability to marginalize or radicalize him. Nevertheless, the past several months have been trying ones for the 75-year-old, one of the richest men in the country and one of the Islamic Republic's most powerful players since its inception 31 years ago. He and his family vocally opposed the re-election of Ahmadinejad. His daughter Faezeh has spent time in jail; his son, Mehdi, who is currently outside of Iran, is potentially subject to arrest if he returns....…….”
Rafsanjani has been doing it since 1979: surviving while other, once more powerful, icons of the Revolution were eaten up by its fires. A near civil war in 1980-82 killed many leaders, mostly blown up with bombs, but not him. In the process he has gotten richer. He clearly likes neither Khamenei nor Ahmadinejad: the latter got personal with him during the presidential campaign and televised debates last year. Who knows what is on his mind at his age.
Cheers
mhg
Mon Email
Rafsanjani has been doing it since 1979: surviving while other, once more powerful, icons of the Revolution were eaten up by its fires. A near civil war in 1980-82 killed many leaders, mostly blown up with bombs, but not him. In the process he has gotten richer. He clearly likes neither Khamenei nor Ahmadinejad: the latter got personal with him during the presidential campaign and televised debates last year. Who knows what is on his mind at his age.
Cheers
mhg
Mon Email
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