Daveed Gartenstein—Ross, "writing":http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/006/575kccof.asp in the ??Weekly Standard??, examines in more detail the fissures within the Iranian regime that James Lewis mentioned in his "article":http://www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=5189 today. While not considering the role of a possible military strike in bringing down the regime, the article contains very valuable data and analysis on the number one pressing problem facing the world today. An example: bq. Even Khamenei may be threatened by Ahmadinejad's dangerous idealism. Khamenei is very much an establishment figure, having served two terms as president before being elevated to supreme leader. Ahmadinejad favors Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, who is considered more ideologically pure than Khamenei. bq. Observers think it possible that Ahmadinejad could try to replace Khamenei with Mesbah Yazdi. While there have only been two supreme leaders in Iran's history, Ahmadinejad could make the switch if he's able to stack the powerful Assembly of Experts with figures loyal to him. bq. BOTH RAFSANJANI AND KHATAMI have orchestrated a campaign of character assassination against Ahmadinejad in recent months designed to paint him as a delusional figure who believes that the Hidden Imam guided him through a September speech before the United Nations. Hat tip: Ed Lasky 1 25 06