Crazy Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered a speech on Wednesday, calling on the West to acknowledge Israel's "imminent collapse." Ahmadinejad further incited his listeners to "stop supporting the Zionists, as their regime has reached its final stage."
Crazy Mahmoud is practicing a technique common to weak leaders: distraction. Ahmadinejad knows his party has a better chance of gaining seats in the March election if he can keep Iranian voters focused on Israel. He hopes Iranian voters will forget about Iran's unemployment rate (around 10 percent), Iran's high inflation rate (17% last reporting period), and other problems like the government's unpopular policy of rationing gasoline.
There is plenty of evidence Crazy Mahmoud's attempts to distract Iranians aren't working. The Mayor of Tehran recently criticized Ahmadinejad in a public forum. Dissidents in Iran are becoming more expressive in their criticism of Ahmadinejad. Finally, Crazy Mahmoud's government recently banned 2,000 reformist candidates from running in the upcoming elections - a move likely to further alienate voters.
