Former Iranian President Khatemi is making the rounds of the establishment in the US these days, with speeches at the Episcopal National Cathedral, as well as Harvard, althoug there is some controversy about both appearances.

Episcopal bishops hit ‘inappropriate’ speech

disclaimer: The Chief agrees with the protest, if not all the stated reasons for it.

Some leading Episcopal bishops have sharply criticized the decision to invite former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami to speak at the Washington National Cathedral, the seat of the presiding bishop of the church’s American branch.

Good enough. The interesting point made at the tail of this piece is this:

…Rev. John Peterson, director of the Cathedral’s Center for Global Justice and Reconciliation, which invited Mr. Khatami….has defended the invitation. He told the Episcopal News Service that, “although former President Khatami is viewed negatively by some, he is important as the most moderate Iranian voice willing to discourse with Americans on matters of peace among the Abrahamic faiths.”

OK – so he’s the “most moderate Iranian voice”? One wonders what that means…from the following item, moderation in Iran is considerably different from what a typical American might consider it to be.

Khatami defends Ahmadinejad, Iran’s nuke plans

Remember, this is the voice of Iranian “moderation:

Former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami yesterday defended his country’s nuclear program…

Sounds to the Chief like Khatemi’s “moderation” is pretty much the same on this one as Ahm-mad-on-a-jihad Ahmadinejad, who no one suspects of committing the sin of moderation.

…and rejected suggestions that freedom and human rights in Iran had deteriorated under his hard-line successor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

This is no doubt true, when one considers that freedom and human rights were realistically non-existant before anyway. Khatemi however goes on to contradict this, although he doesn’t consider the current tightening down to be a “deterioration”.

Mr. Khatami acknowledged that his two-week American tour had been criticized by religious hard-liners in Iran, but he said he did not think that Iran had regressed under Mr. Ahmadinejad. “I don’t think things have reversed,” he said. “Of course their interpretation may be different than mine, but on women and youth, the new president has said things that are very hopeful.”

What sorts of “hopeful” things?

Mr. Ahmadinejad has enforced dress codes requiring that women be dressed in black or dark blue Islamic garb from head to toe and has begun a campaign to purge liberal and secular professors from the nation’s universities. Mr. Khatami’s successor has also called for Israel’s destruction.

To quote the Brit rock band THE WHO:
“Here comes the new boss, same as the old boss.
Don’t get fooled again!”