WORLD NEWS: "Rivals in Iran's Election Take Aim at Ahmadinejad," by Farnaz Fassihi, Wall Street Journal, 7 May 2009.

Kick-ass opening para:

The three major challengers to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June presidential elections hail from different political backgrounds but share a common view: If Mr. Ahmadinejad is re-elected, he will lead Iran toward disaster.

Hell, I just want to stop having to type that guy's QWERTY-tough name!

But like my recent online Esquire column:

While they broadly support Iranian policies such as pursuing a nuclear program and refusing to recognize Israel as a state, they seek to distance themselves from Mr. Ahmadinejad's tough-talking style.

Cool by me, because achieving nuclear status will force the recognition--a price for joining the great-power club (for when you have nukes, you're expected to talk and thus recognize any balancing power--for safety's sake).

Ahmadinejad is looting the treasury to buy votes--with potatoes, cash, gold-coin bonuses, whatever.

His rivals strike back with SMS texting, Web sites, and DVDs, says the article.

An article to clip for its nutshell definitions of the candidates.