Hardliners in Iran looking to steer the prez election

INTERNATIONAL: "Before Presidential Election, Iran's Hard-Liners Crack Down on Reformists," by Nazila Fathi, New York Times, 5 January 2009.

Naturally, the hard-line camp acts preventatively as the election approaches. Conservatives in power (not just Karl Rove) tend to do that.

The real driver?

Although Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme religious leader, has repeatedly backed Mr. Ahmadinejad in public speeches, hard-line support for Mr. Ahmadinejad may be weaker than it appears and fear of Mr. Khatami's candidacy is high.

To me, the more technocratic/pragmatic conservative Qalibef (current mayor of Tehran) is more interesting--and plausible--as an Ahmadinejad-toppler. But I guess the fact that there is so much speculation--both inside Iran and outside--about the moderate Khatami signals how weak Ahmadinejad may be.

That's where I spot the window for Qalibef.