Iranians Confirm Ahmadinejad Illness

The Iranian media has indeed confirmed that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is suffering from some kind of ailment that has kept him from the public eye and forced the cancellation of several appearances. His most recent appearance shows his bodyguards basically carrying him around.

Parliament member Mohammad Ismail Kowsari, a close ally of the president, told IRNA that Ahmadinejad was feeling under the weather because of the strain of his position.

"The president will eventually heal and continue his job," said Kowsari, who last September accompanied the president on his trip to the UN General Assembly. "Every human being can face exhaustion under such a workload."

On Saturday, flanked by bodyguards, he participated in the funeral ceremony for recently discovered remains of soldiers from the 1980s Iran-Iraq war.

Over the weekend, reports in the Islamic Republic claimed the Iranian president's health was deteriorating, with a top aide, Amir Mansour Borghei, telling journalists the president was "indisposed."

I doubt that this is simply mere exhaustion. Opponents to the Iranian regime inside Iran are no doubt hoping that Ahmadinejad's ailment is permanent and fatal, given how Ahmadinejad's policies are pretty debilitating and destructive to the Iranian economy.

Even as oil prices skyrocketed, the regime could barely cover its subsidies on gas prices (and Iran has to import refined gasoline because it lacks capacity to do so itself) inside the country and fulfill its military ambitions. Now, with gas prices tumbling, revenues are dropping precipitously and the regime still can't cover the subsidies. Rampant inflation and high unemployment don't make the job any easier.