DEFENDING THE REPUBLIC AGAINST THREATS FROM ABROAD...:

Iranian Conservative Attacks President on Economy (AP, 8/31/08)

A top conservative cleric close to Iran's supreme leader criticized the economic policies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying they threaten to keep Iran from its goal of becoming a regional superpower by 2025.

The remarks by Ali Akbar Nateq Nouri, published Sunday, came just a week after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei strongly backed Ahmadinejad, praising him for "standing up" to the West and urging him to plan for a second four-year term.

But Nateq Nouri, a confidant of Khamenei, said the strong support didn't mean the president was immune from criticism. And, according to his comments at a banking conference, Iran's economy is faltering.

...doesn't grow the economy.

Posted by Orrin Judd at August 31, 2008 5:12 PM