Iran: Hopes Dashed

Hopes soared. NPR, for instance, aired reports of eager campaign crowds rooting for the election of Mir Hossein Mousavi as Iran's new president. Mousavi rated as a relative moderate who promised reform and who enjoyed the support of the young. A Mousavi-led Iran presumably would be more open to the West and would allow for the liberation of social mores, particularly regarding women.

On Friday, Iranians voted in impressive numbers.

Then the government announced that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won re-election in a landslide.

Mousavi's supporters ridiculed the results; they alleged fraud and chicanery. Many foreign observers agreed. No one takes Iran's officialdom at its unworthy word. Nevertheless, despite the dubious nature of the election and its count, the regime continues to enjoy support among a significant portion of Iranian society. Venezuela's Hugo Chavez reportedly was the first foreign potentate to congratulate Ahmadinejad.

Perplexed outsiders continue to wonder how Ahmadinejad and his like can attain popularity in Iran and other places. The world is not, it seems, Vermont. Real life is not an episode on reality TV.

The election may have been fixed. Ahmadinejad might have won a legitimate victory. It does not matter. The ayatollahs rule.