The charge of representing the American voice in Iran is not only a readily available accusation, but also as boring as the Shura Council elections on the eve of which many Iranians have expressed indifference. They are now convinced more than ever that the conservatives and the reformists are nothing but two sides of the same coin. Consequently, it is inconsequential to these dull elections that numerous candidates from the reformist "camp" have been disqualified by the Council of Guardians.

In Iran, the charges are ready along with dubbing as traitors those who reveal "the secrets" to the west and its American boss. Fortunately for Ahmedinejad's opponents, these charges do not end with legitimizing their blood explicitly or implicitly, as the case is in other places where Tehran's allies do not stop at the limit Iran itself has set for its confrontation with the opponents, the limit of letting the judiciary decide on accusations of treachery.

The issue of dullness, on the other hand, seems to arouse no interest in Ahmedinejad or Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Revolution accused of consuming its poor. Straightforward calculations show that the Supreme Leader and the president are living on a planet of their own, while the Iranians living in the republic of defiance are left with disappointment. They were disappointed with Khatemi whose openness to the world and west was completely wiped out by his successor, and his dialogue with Arabs was replaced by what a few see as a form of dependence at a game of bargaining chips with the "Great Satan." Another wave of disappointment struck the Iranians, as Ahmedinejad who has presented himself as the father of the poor shifted his attention to Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine to "eradicate Israel!"

The figures simply show that Iran earns $270 million every 24 hours in hard currency from oil revenues. The poor wonder about their share, while Ahmedinejad pumps billions to strengthen the position of the "defiant camp" against Washington. Based on these huge budgets allocated for assistance (assuming they are grants untouched by political money), the parliamentary elections are no longer limited to the domestic arena. It is safe to assume that Iranian voters have lost interest in casting their votes for Ahmedinejad's camp as a means of protesting his failure to honor his domestic promises, as he preoccupies himself with the grand battle with the superpower.

Yet, even the pretext of protest is evidently invalid because the "democracy" boasted by the Revolution is subjected to the conditions of the "Revolutionary Guard" and the guillotine of the Council of Guardians, as they disqualify the candidates who fail the test of patriotism and loyalty to the Islamic republic. Since the electoral campaign is and will remain boring, especially as the reformist camp continues its introvert retreat and fails to stand up for its agenda, Ahmedinejad can feel confident about the new parliament and enjoy his sleep between the silky sheets of favoritism.

Defiance overseas and favoritism at home…This is why the "supporter of the poor" is upset by the broadcast of Radio "Voice of America" and hence enjoys smearing as traitors those Iranians who slip through the "enemy" radio to criticize his era.

Yet, in all fairness to the "Republic of Defiance" and with simple mathematics, the Iranian president can present to his citizens a list of his accomplishments, while they complain about wasting oil revenues by the billions: as usual, he can boast of the upcoming "nuclear peak" which will carry the Revolution to the club of major powers in spite of them…He can recommend listening to the White House which repeats with its guilt-driven bitterness that there are no war plans against a nuclear Iran. Ahmedinejad can also announce another victory with the resignation of Admiral William Fallon, the Supreme Commander of US operations in the Middle East. He will need no evidence to convince his citizens with his accomplishments in Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon among others or what he almost did in the Arab region of North Africa.

The blare of the revolution is receding in Iran, as the vast majority stands behind the hard-line camp which can boast of beating President Bush at his "grand" strategy without imitating it: battling away from America versus feuding outside the realm of the revolution. In between is the arena of the Arabs who have been taken by surprise when they found out that Iran's nuclear program had already been set on the enrichment track during Khatemi's era before receiving a boost forward from his successor.

The former president's chances of attracting the masses to double the seats that the reformists can capture in the Shura Council are almost equal to the chances of the poor in a larger share of oil revenues at the expense of the treasury of defiance…Boredom is a stranger to Ahmedinejad…Every time he announces a new "victory" overseas, he succeeds in turning the attention away to the defeated and to plans for confrontation and annihilation with Arab blood.