BOOGEYMAN, NOT ROLE MODEL:

Iran Plays a Role in Iraq Vote: Connections to Tehran have become a pet target in the campaign, with some alleging meddling. (Edmund Sanders, January 9, 2005, LA Times)

As Iraq lurches toward elections this month, its neighbor Iran is emerging as one of the hottest campaign issues.

Iraq's outspoken defense minister fired one of the first salvos last month, charging that the front-running slate, the Shiite Muslim-dominated United Iraqi Alliance, was controlled by Tehran and was determined to "build an Islamic dictatorship and have turbaned clerics rule in Iraq."

The minister, Hazem Shaalan, is a Shiite, but is running on a rival, more secular slate.

Part of the focus on Iran is pure politics. In light of the nations' history of rivalry and eight-year war in the 1980s, the mention of Iran is a convenient way to attack candidates, spook citizens and galvanize voters, experts say.

Heck, even the Iranians don't want Iranian-style government.

Posted by Orrin Judd at January 9, 2005 8:57 AM