> other people for ad hominem arguments and reckless generalizations
> and yet you do the same thing yourself. "Those Iranians"? They're
> identical with their government? In the shared fantasy of the Iranian
> leadership and George W. Bush, maybe, but not in my mind.
Yes, it's right to point out that Iranians are not cosubstantial with Iran qua nation-state, but on the other hand you have to also take into account the extent to which neocons etc rely upon the formal claim that they are only against the *regime* to neutralise critique. And, of course, remember that formally, all bombing campaigns are directed against *regimes* and not *peoples*. The right has proven very adept at manipulating the language of human rights and internationalism to delegitimise regimes which do not accept US tutelage, and so when leftists defend aspects of the Islamic Republic from what they think is unfair obloquy, it should be seen as a natural and realistic response to demonisation, not as gratuitous apologia.