The rivalry between President Ahamdinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenie has split Iranian conservatives between those who are crazy and those who are merely radical. The "moderates" are sitting this one out, they say, even though it is probable none of their candidates would have passed muster with the Guardian Council. The GC determines if a candidate is sufficiently in tune with the Supreme Leader's interpretation of the Koran. If they're not, they don't get on the ballot - end of story. So in this election, it looks like Khamenei's radicals will win the day while Ahmadinejad's crazies will suffer for the poor economy. Reuters: Iranians voted on Friday in a parliamentary election likely to reinforce Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's power over rival hardliners led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iranian leaders were looking for a high turnout to ease an acute crisis of legitimacy caused by Ahmadinejad's re-election in 2009 when widespread accusations of fraud...(Read Full Post)