"No Virginia, Mousavi is not a pro-American Santa Claus!" by: Andrew Taylor

Liberals and leftists in the west have seriously miscalculated the identity and the significance of reformist candidate Mousavi. I have read in US 'official line' stories as well as in loony left blogs that Mousavi was a veritable revolutionary who would stop Iran's Accord with Hezbollah, shelve Iran's nuclear program and take all the obeisant steps necessary to establish servile relations with the USA.

Iran is not like this - and it doesn't work that way! The Mousavi reformist positions - the ones that he campaigned on - had to do with liberalizing the domestic culture,- permitting private TV stations and more liberal provisions for women with regard to coverings. In international matters connected to the Arab world his politics lines up very closely with Ahmadinejad and his predecessors, Mohammad Khatami and Rafsanjani.

These liberal internal issues of freedoms in civil society were the issues were the ones that galvanized large sections of the Iranian people and the perceived fraud against the candidate representing such reforms brought the people to the streets.The protest was about defrauding the people of the one who seemed to embody internal liberalization. This is not a pro-American revolution, no matter how many US Special Ops undercover operatives or agents provocateurs have infiltrated the nation. Although the foment may well be in the process of being subverted by US operatives in Iran. One wonders, were US special-op agents involved in the recent bombings in Iran as the government has charged? What sort of provocateur role are US agents playing in the crowds in the present events?

Some have opined that an even deeper socialist revolutionary process may be developing. If the workers begin to strike that is an (outside chance) possible outcome. Working conditions are often poor and inflation is high. But the Left chronically over-estimates inter-regime contradictions, and sticks a red flag on top of all discontent. (And Iran has plenty of discontent...)

Ahmadinejad's re-election as president by an unlikely landslide was probably involved some voter fraud - a real total re-count should take place.

But we see no signs of strikes (as yet) and the main dissident bloc -the Iranian youth -have been complaining for years on the Net of women having to cover up, wanting more access to Hollywood films and American music and dance clubs. These are legitimate demands but it ain't the Paris Commune!