The dupe of Tehran

You've heard of the Manchurian Candidate? Well, as Edward Copeland asks: "Could George W. Bush be the Iranian Candidate?" Consider:

Like Mrs. Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate, who spouted anti-communist rhetoric while secretly working for their agenda in the U.S., could Dubya really be an Iranian plant? Can you imagine anyone else who has done as much for Iran than he has? Before his Axis of Evil speech, young reformers in Iran were gaining strength. Afterward, the Iranian religious leaders cracked down and used nationalism to gain support for launching a nuclear program and elected a lunatic as president. Meanwhile, the folly of the Iraq invasion have removed the buffer of Saddam Hussein, who himself was contained, as a safeguard against Iranian influence as a Shiite-dominated government took charge in Iraq and began spouting similar anti-Israeli rhetoric. Meanwhile, a fledgling democratic effort in Lebanon falls by the wayside as Iranian-backed Hezbollah baits Israel into military action while increasing the Shiite influence there as well. Dubya's urging of democratic reforms throughout the region has also led to a growing influence of radical Shiites in the Egyptian government as well. If you want to take the conspiracy further -- how did Iran and North Korea get their hands on nuke technology? From the Pakistani scientist who used UAE ports as a conduit -- ports run by the Dubai company Dubya fought to put in control of U.S. ports. Personally, I can't see King Idiot being clever enough to be an agent for Iran -- but he could certainly be their dupe.

Sure, it's an amusing conspiracy theory, one not meant to be taken too seriously, but it's certainly true that Bush, intentionally or otherwise, has done a lot for Iran. Where would Ahmadinejad be without him?

(Check out the rest of Edward's post for a helpful round-up of today's news.)