The protocols of the unlearned president of Iran

Yesterday, the President of Iran gave a speech to the United Nations that was, of course, widely quoted in the wire services and mainstream media. However, the words below were not widely quoted by the wire services, particularly not the words in bold. Reuters featured some of the language—in a story headlined “Iran vows to resist U.S. ‘bullying’,” then updated to “Ahmadinejad rails against Zionists, US bullying.” The first story features almost none of the quotes. The second story is barely making the rounds, and was updated after many newspapers that carry Reuters have already had their world news pages designed. The Associated Press barely noted the naked anti-Semitism displayed by Mad Mahmoud.

The lives, properties and rights of the people of Georgia and Ossetia and Abkhazia are victims of the tendencies and provocations of NATO and certain western powers, military agreements, and the underhanded actions of the Zionists.

[…] The dignity, integrity and rights of the American and European people are being played with by a small but deceitful number of people called Zionists. Although they are a miniscule minority, they have been dominating an important portion of the financial and monetary centers as well as the political decision-making centers of some European countries and the US in a deceitful, complex and furtive manner. It is deeply disastrous to witness that some presidential or premiere nominees in some big countries have to visit these people, take part in their gatherings, swear their allegiance and commitment to their interests in order to attain financial or media support.

This means that the great people of America and various nations of Europe need to obey the demands and wishes of a small number of acquisitive and invasive people. These nations are spending their dignity and resources on the crimes and occupations and the threats of the Zionist network against their will.

[…] The thoughts and deeds of those who think they are superior to others and consider others as second-class and inferior; who intend to remain out of the divine circle, to be the absolute slaves of their materialistic and selfish desires, who intend to expand their aggressive and domineering natures, constitute the roots of today’s problems in human societies. They are the great hindrances to the actualization of material and spiritual prosperity and to security, peace and brotherhood among nations.

There is no air whatsoever between Ahmadinejad’s words, and the words of Adolf Hitler and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. No, wait. There is one major difference. The one word missing from his speech is “Jew,” and it is missing deliberately—because then the Iranians can pretend that when they say “Zionists,” they don’t mean “Jews.” They can say that they’re not against the Jewish people. Only the “Zionists.” And yet, the use of classic anti-Semitic phrasing and imagery is near-letter-perfect. Let’s take a quick recount:

• Deceitful? Check.
• Materialistic? Check.
• Controlling world finances and media? Check.
• Superior attitude? Check.
• Selfish? Check.
• Controlling other nations? Check.
• Causing wars? Check.
• Preventing world peace? Check.
• Godless? Check.

And last, but not least on the checklist: Not published in any major media report on the speech?

Check and mate.