Taranto, in the section that showed too much self awareness for the Journal, so it was discontinued, no one at the Times seems to be aware of their own paper, so their absorbing of narratives from sources like CAIR which is the political wing of Hamas, likewise with Hezbollah,

I admitted couched my commentary, with dry understatement, maybe there is a little too much hope this could end up in a beneficial way, as a fellow whose parents fled the usurpation called the Cuban Revolution, another blind spot that the Times has, see Herbert Matthews,

I think it was Charles Johnson who introduced me to MEMRI, one of the things he regrets,

Actually, thanks to our illustrious GLOBAL Media we also have to deal with—24/7—the “fog of peace”….

For further documentation. The NYT’s eulogy of Nasrallah is beyond ridiculous. NYT: Protesters Mourn Nasrallah’s Death Around the World.

Mr. Nasrallah was opposed to Israel, which he called “the Zionist entity,” and maintained that there should be one Palestine with equality for Muslims, Jews and Christians.

Hassan Nasrallah: In His Own Words

Nasrallah and Jews
Within a month of Nasrallah’s taking over as leader, Hezbollah (with the help of Iranian intelligence) bombed the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, killing 29 and injuring over 200. The next attack perpetrated by Hezbollah—again with Iranian help—was the bombing of the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, killing 86 and injuring over 200.
The widening arena of Hezbollah’s attacks stemmed from Nasrallah’s perception that Jews anywhere are legitimate targets. In fact, Nasarallah has said:

If they (Jews) all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide. (Daily Star, Oct. 23, 2002)

Shiite scholar Amal Saad-Ghorayeb analyzed the anti-Jewish roots of Hezbollah ideology in her book Hezbollah: Politics & Religion. In it, she quotes Hassan Nasrallah describing his antipathy toward Jews:

If we searched the entire world for a person more cowardly, despicable, weak and feeble in psyche, mind, ideology and religion, we would not find anyone like the Jew. Notice, I do not say the Israeli. (New Yorker, Oct. 6, 2002)

Nasrallah also incoroporates anti-Semitic rhetoric in speeches. For example, he has characterized Jews as the “grandsons of apes and pigs” and “Allah’s most cowardly and greedy creatures.” (MEMRI: Al- Manar, Feb. 3, 2006)
Despite his anti-Semitic invective, there are few references to this in the mainstream media.

Knowledge of what they are writing about is apparently not a prerequisite for NYT reporters.

So he claims. But he would, wouldn’t he? We’re just taking his word for it?

Sounds pretty good to me.

Yes, it’s high time someone put a bell on that cat….

Could be just talk.

It definitely is just talk. Do we remember the name “Ahmed Chalabi”? Dissidents always tell you the whole country is ready to greet you with flowers, aren’t they?

And who was Chalabi in bed with, do we remember?

But three U.S. government officials told NEWSWEEK that Maliki’s government recently forced Chalabi out of his new job over an issue that has long clouded his reputation–his murky ties to Iran, including leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the country’s internal security force. The Bush administration has accused the IRGC and its paramilitary spinoff, the Quds Force, of training and arming pro-Iranian renegade militias that are attacking U.S. and Iraqi troops.

but what is the alternative?

Something we may not expect, and it’s not in our control to dictate what it is regardless.

This is in today’s WaPo behind a paywall, so I’m linking Althouse:
https://althouse.blogspot.com/2026/03/irans-democratic-opposition-groups.html

“Iran’s democratic opposition groups — monarchists and republicans, secular and religious minorities, leftists, liberals, and every ethnicity — are united on four foundational principles: Iran’s territorial integrity; individual liberties and equality of all citizens; separation of religion and state; and the Iranian people’s right to decide a democratic form of government. Many Iranians, often despite facing bullets, have called on me to lead this transition. I am in awe of their courage, and I have answered their call. Our path forward will be transparent: a new constitution drafted and ratified by referendum, followed by free elections under international oversight. When Iranians vote, the transitional government dissolves…. A free Iran would extend [the Abraham Accords] by immediately recognizing Israel and pursuing a broader regional peace framework linking Iran, Israel and our Arab neighbors in cooperation rather than conflict. I suggest calling the agreement the Cyrus Accords, for Cyrus the Great, the benevolent ancient Persian ruler whom Thomas Jefferson cited as an inspiration….”

Sounds pretty good to me. Could be just talk, but what is the alternative?

The Pahlavi dynasty was the result of a 1921 coup of the Prime Minister against the old Qajar dynasty, and the first Pahlavi Shah was just some ethnic minority soldier the British were able to work with. It’s not some traditional Persian thing.

Maybe as a ceremonial head, and a call back to Persian history. He doesn’t strike me as a fixit guy, and Iran will need a lot of fixing. I have no idea who that guy might be, I expect nobody does. We will need to wait on the vicissitudes of history.