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What long-term effect? Iranian president off-side with Parliament

Just out, as FP Mideast Daily reports, it seems that the West's whipping boy, President Ahmadinejad, of Iran, is in the doo-doos with members of Parliament.

"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared in front of the parliament on Wednesday to face questions on his foreign and domestic policies, amid accusations that he has been challenging the authority of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ahmadinejad is the first president since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979 to be summoned, but he downplayed the questioning saying it was not abnormal. Ahmadinejad was joined by several cabinet members at the parliament where he spent an hour answering questions regarding accusations of wasting resources, botching the financing of the Tehran metro, and citing inaccurate figures of job growth in 2009 and 2010. Ahmadinejad said he was "ready to answer questions" however he was criticized for treating the time before the legislature as a joke. According to Mohammad Taqi Rahbar, "Ahmadinejad's answers to lawmakers" questions were illogical, illegal, and an attempt to avoid answering them. With an insulting tone, Ahmadinejad made fun of lawmakers' questions and insulted parliament." The questioning came less than two weeks after parliamentary elections faired poorly for Ahmadinejad supporters."

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