Laura Rozen: Iran May Be About To Dump Ahmadinejad. Meanwhile, American and Israeli Neocons Hope Mahmoud Wins

Foreign Policy's Laura Rozen has a great piece on what might be happening in Iran. The madman could lose.

It seems like almost too much to hope for. But, as I noted earlier, there is some evidence that the neocons are worried. They want Ahmadinejad in there because without him the Iran nuclear threat could fade and they would lose their justification for bombing Iran. In Yedioth Achronoth today (that is Israel's #1 circulation newspaper) Soli Shahvar director of the Ezri Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies at the University of Haifa)writes that "Mousavi is bad for Israel" and that Israelis need to hope that Ahmadinejad wins. His reasoning: Mousavi's moderation will weaken western resolve to confront Iran.

The New Republic's proprietor, Martin Peretz, is already writing that Ahmadinejad doesn't matter anyway. He's obviously scared that the crazed Holocaust denier will disappear.

Daniel Pipes, on the far right edge of neocondom, flatout says "I would vote for Ahmadinejad," so reports Daniel Luban in Inter Press Service (IPS).

At this point no one knows what will happen on Friday. But one thing that becomes clear as the neocons pray for an Ahmadinejad victory: there is no limit to what these people will support or endorse in order to achieve their goal of a civilizational war with Muslims, absolutely nothing. Don't think they are motivated by love of Israel (which is obviously better off with Ahmadinejad gone). They are motivated solely by hatred of Muslims. (See this hate piece by fringe neocon columnist Debbie Schlussel who says that even though the Holocaust museum killer is a white supremacist, the attack was the fault of the Muslims).

See this by Iranian American scholar, Trita Parsi. His piece is called "Ahmadinejad's Little Helpers" and he's referring to some of the Congressional Iran hawks (Likud lovers) who would like to help Ahmadinejad with an October surprise -- an Iran-bashing amendment this week (or next, if there is a runoff).