We Hear Brownie Might Be Looking For Work

General Sadegh pulls a Harriet. AP (11.09.05):

"President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second nominee to head the key oil ministry — a Revolutionary Guards commander with no background in the industry — withdrew his candidacy Wednesday because of a lack of support from parliament. 'I prefer that someone with the possibility of receiving a bigger confidence vote takes the post. So I submit my withdrawal,' Gen. Sadegh Mahsouli said in an open letter to Ahmadinejad. Second Iran Oil-Minister Nominee Withdraws

"The parliament rejected the president's previous nominee for the oil portfolio, Ahmadinejad's former colleague at the Tehran municipality, Ali Saidlou, citing a lack of qualifications." President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad apparently "did not ask for any consultation from [Parliament], this is while there were already 17 potential candidates introduced by the country's experts to the energy commission, four of the which were experts and efficient. But none of them were among the president's options.'" Appointing a former colleague to a government post, someone with no practical experience, and doing so without consulting the Legislature? My, doesn't that sound familiar. "Iran pumps about 4 million barrels daily, making it the second-largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries after Saudi Arabia." The US doesn't import any oil from Iran, at least not directly.