Ahmadinejad offers to be an observer at US presidential election

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's offer to observe the US presidential election, exploring the implications and reactions to this proposal. Participants engage in commentary regarding the nature of his offer, its seriousness, and the broader context of political humor and irony.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that Ahmadinejad's offer could be seen as a humorous or ironic gesture rather than a serious proposal, reflecting on the nature of political discourse.
  • Others express skepticism about the sincerity of Ahmadinejad's intentions, citing his past actions and the political context in Iran.
  • A few participants question the logistics and meaning of "observing" an election, pondering what such a role would entail.
  • There are remarks about the absurdity of the situation, with some participants drawing parallels to other political scenarios and expressing a sense of irony.
  • Some participants applaud the idea of an outside observer but emphasize that the observer should be "sane," indicating concerns about Ahmadinejad's credibility.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally do not reach a consensus on the seriousness of Ahmadinejad's offer, with multiple competing views on its implications and the nature of political irony present in the discussion.

Contextual Notes

There are references to past elections in Iran and the political dynamics within the US, which may influence participants' perspectives but are not fully explored in detail.

fourier jr
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Ahmadinejad offers to be an observer at US presidential election

Robert Tait in Tehran
Tuesday November 27, 2007
The Guardian

He denounces it as the "Great Satan" and frequently dismisses its power, but the overtures of the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to the US seem to grow ever more extravagant...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections08/story/0,,2217495,00.html

After a succession of corrupt elections in the US this doesn't sound like such a bad idea at all, especially with evangelicals subverting the Republican party & American democracy in general.
 
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So 'Chutzpah' is the first step in Iran-Isreal reconcilliation?
 
fourier jr said:
After a succession of corrupt elections in the US this doesn't sound like such a bad idea at all, especially with evangelicals subverting the Republican party & American democracy in general.
I beg to differ, but this is a freaking joke. Ahmadinejad is getting funnier and funnier (the Brits entered Iranian waters --> there are no homosexuals in Iran --> I shall observe the US elections), and seems to think that people actually take him seriously when he comes up with stuff like this.

Who remembers the 2004 Parliamentary elections in Iran? About 100MPs were disqualified by Khamenei and guess what...they were all reformists!
 
mgb_phys said:
So 'Chutzpah' is the first step in Iran-Isreal reconcilliation?
Getting A'jad to utter a word like 'chutzpah' will itself be a huge step towards reconciliation.
 
An outside observer seems like an excellent idea and for that I applaud him, but I think "sane" should be a requirement.
 
I think given the audience he was addressing at the time whilst knowing his offer would receive world wide coverage shows it was not intended as a serious offer but rather an exercise in Socratic irony which given some of the replies in this thread worked very successfully :biggrin:.

It at least shows he has more in common with Western humor than one would have thought :approve:
 
What exactly is "observing" an election? Does he personally count every vote or something?\

ps. he has a really cool name.
 
Art said:
I think given the audience he was addressing at the time whilst knowing his offer would receive world wide coverage shows it was not intended as a serious offer but rather an exercise in Socratic irony which given some of the replies in this thread worked very successfully :biggrin:.

It at least shows he has more in common with Western humor than one would have thought :approve:
Dictators don't mean to be ironic. The technical term for what he's doing is "poking".
 
ShawnD said:
What exactly is "observing" an election? Does he personally count every vote or something?\

"observing" or "scrutinising" or "stuff around"?

hehehehe...:smile:...

I offer myself to be the next secretary-general of NATO... anyone dare to care if that's the case :biggrin:...
sigh... politics... still... it can be funny :smile:
 

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