A Master Ventriloquist has a particular set of skills among which are they are amusing, able to throw their voice, assume different personalities to match each Dummy, keep straight which voice to use both between dummies and when changing in conversation from his own voice and the dummy’s voice, engage the audience, and memorize the routine. These skills and others which any particular ventriloquist has mastered do not change or alter when they change from one of their dummies despite the fact that the act is altered as one of the participants, namely the dummy, has been changed out. The ventriloquist does not change when the dummy is changed. He retains his same voice, same ability to thrill and amuse the audience, and still works the various features of the dummy whether it is an expressive puppet professionally built with various facial and other features which can be controlled by the ventriloquist or it is a simple sock puppet which is taking the most simple of puppets used as the ventriloquist prop. When one is watching a ventriloquist perform his routines one does not expect for the ventriloquist changes his puppet that the ventriloquist will necessarily assume an entirely different persona himself despite the fact that the Dummy will have a different sounding voice, movements and other particulars which establish its personality and interaction with the ventriloquist. Despite the changes committed to make the new dummy a separate personality, nobody in the audience is expecting the act to suddenly transform miraculously.
What we just witnessed in Iran was the changing of the mouthpiece who serves as the voice of the Supreme leader and the ruling Ayatollahs of Iran. Ahmadinejad was swapped out for a new President, Hassan Rouhani. Of course the Ayatollahs will want to use their exchanging mouthpieces to alter and profit their position in the world and use it to reset as much of the Iranian situation as they are able. President Hassan Rouhani will be set out with a script which will be designed to make it appear that a new, softer, more pliable, more accessible Iran now exists that seeks peaceful, friendly relations and offers a new openness with the world on their nuclear programs. This was evidenced as President Rouhani’s first interaction with the press after being sworn in where he indicated he would pursue a less confrontational approach to nuclear talks with the six world powers than had his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. President Rouhani further claimed that Iran’s nuclear activities are “within the framework of law,” and that international sanctions are “baseless” and yet he insisted Iran would not be halting their uranium enrichment activities. President Rouhani sounded similar to the positions he had held while he represented Iran in their nuclear talks a decade ago. During his time as Iranian chief nuclear negotiator Mr. Rouhani often used obstructions and misleading statements to deceive and confuse the world as to Iranian intents and aims as well as how advanced and accomplished was their nuclear programs. The instillation of a new President in Iran is simply further proof that the more things change, the more they remain the same.
Despite evidence to the contrary from President Rouhani’s past performances and his initial statements and responses during interactions with the press and the Iranian people since his assuming the Presidency, the mainstream media and the political elites are all touting Mr. Rouhani as the coming of the great new moderate who will change and reset all settings and position within the government of Iran and bring a new approach which will align Iran with the desires of the international community. The leadership of the world is determined to use the inauguration of the new Iranian President to restart the negotiations over the Iranian nuclear program and pretend that the negotiations have suddenly taken a complete change of direction deserving of renewed hopes even if doing such requires completely ignoring every single iota of evidence to the contrary. The real change is that the new Iranian President is a far more accomplished and smoother politician who is well practiced in the concepts and techniques of deception and misdirection capable of using all the tricks of the trade. Unlike his predecessor, President Rouhani does not take a confrontational position nor does he use brute force and direct defiance and opposition seeming to be immovable and resolute to withstand all assaults on his position as did former President Ahmadinejad. Instead, President Rouhani speaks in reasoned words using pleasing tones in order to passively resist thrusts while softly guiding them aside marshaling them into fruitless dead ends in order to maintain a soft resolve allowing for the continuation at speed of the nuclear program while beguiling his adversaries with sweet songs of agreement while refusing all agreements. President Rouhani is well practiced in all of the political arts using guile, concealment, double-entendres, and all forms of deceitfulness all without ever causing insult or injury yet also managing to put his adversaries at ease leaving them pleased with a false feeling of accomplishment. The leaders of the West and the mainstream media have all willingly been duped into believing their own propaganda and wishful dreaming as they are all in the mode of avoidance of conflict no matter the cost and are willing to do whatever it takes in order to be rewarded with a piece of paper filled with empty promises and meaningless words of agreement all expressing the accomplishment of the ultimate dream, peace in our time. Does nobody remember the everlasting shame of previous fools dancing to the pied pipers of those who would enjoin conquest through clever deceits and tunes of such sweet enticements which gathered the signatures of the blinded ones, Édouard Daladier and Neville Chamberlain?
Beyond the Cusp
Beyond the Cusp 