Khatami's return?

Barack Obama has been attacked by both his primary opponents and John McCain over his statement that he would meet with the leaders of rogue states. Senator McCain has evoked the image of a President Obama meeting with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Holocaust denying, antagonistic president of Iran. But what many Americans don't realize is that Ahmadinejad might be replaced by this guy.

Ahmadinejad faces some serious problems in his re-election effort. Iranians are tired of his confrontational approach to foreign policy and the economy is deteriorating quickly. The Economist lists the ills of the Iranian economy:

The government has failed to spread wealth, despite hefty revenues from oil and gas; ordinary Iranians are furious that inflation that is now running at nearly 30%. The country’s powerful merchants went on strike in October to protest against the introduction of a 3% sales tax. With the price of oil tumbling and the prospect of a sharp drop in hard currency earnings, Mr Ahmadinejad’s prospects look bleaker yet.

Khatami's re-election wouldn't cure all of Iran's ills, but it certainly would be a step in the right direction