Every big- and middle-name Democrat and Republican loves raking in fees to speak to the exiled Iranian Marxist guerilla group MEK, an official member of the State Department’s terrorist group list that also happens to hate the current Iranian regime. This seems pretty illegal, but hey, maybe we just love the Ayatollah and Ahmadinejad too much to see the legality of it all. Now let’s meet an additional two faces who’ve been providing support to this official terrorist group recently: Newt Gingrich and columnist Clarence Page!
Fathead arrived in Paris last week to address the “principal leader” of MEK and greeted her with his finest curtsy:
When Newt Gingrich arrived in Paris last week to speak to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an Iranian exile umbrella group that’s been based there since shortly after the 1979 revolution, he seemed to know exactly who Maryam Rajavi is. He praised Rajavi and her work several times in his speech, which he delivered as the prominent exile stood at his side. Before the speech, as he neared the end of a long line of attendees who stood in the rain to shake his hand, he turned to face Rajavi, smiled, and at approximately 1:02 minutes into the above video, folded at the waist and bowed solemnly. Rajavi, clothed head-to-toe in green, handed him a bouquet of flowers as the crowd cheered.
Of course Newt Gingrich did this. What’s more fascinating is how working journalist Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune found himself in such a position:
Late last month, syndicated columnist Clarence Page appeared at a rally in Paris in support of the Mujahadin-e Khalq (MEK), an Iranian group that has been lobbying Washington to be removed from the U.S. government’s list of designated foreign terrorist organizations.
Before a huge crowd waving portraits of MEK leaders Maryam and Massoud Rajavi as well as Iranian flags, Page called for the MEK to be removed from the official terrorist organization list.
Contacted about the appearance by ProPublica, Page said he has decided to give back his speaking fee for the event, as well as reimburse the cost of travel to and from France, which was paid for by a group called the Organizing Committee for Convention for Democracy in Iran.
“I thought they were simply a group of Iranian exiles who were opposed to the regime in Tehran,” Page said. “I later found out they can be construed as a MEK front group, and I don’t think it’s worth it to my reputation to be perceived as a paid spokesman for any political cause.
The man who heard that a group called “the Organizing Committee for Convention for Democracy in Iran” would pay him and fly him to Paris to speak and didn’t think anything was suspicious thinks he has a reputation to maintain? Dear God.
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Rep. Peter King (R-IRA)?
ILLUMINATI!!!
The enemy of my enemy is probably my enemy too, also?
Because it worked out so well with the Islamaniacs and the Russians in Afghanistan.
Those kinky neocons love themselves a three-way clusterfuck.
How many times did Newt slip fnord into his speech?
Or roofies into her drink?
I can smell their underarms from here…
i don't 'get' the humor in racist comments, or the upfisting.
If Maryam Rajavi says Iran has WMDs and that the people of Iran will welcome her as a benevolent ruler after we invade, I say we take her up on it.
After all, lightning doesn't strike the (pretty much) same place twice, now does it?
Nah. Hardly ever.
Well I'm sure it doesn't strike the same place twice, twice.
mmpf. I can't stop chucking about "fathead."
Same here. I'm almost ashamed at how much I approve of that term.
If that head was actually filled with fat, burning it would warm the planet by at least 3 degrees.
I honestly thought I was the only one. It's really straight-to-the-point, and Wonkette is usually more subtle than that, but there's just something about the word that made me laugh like I was back in elementary.
Now if we can just round up some of the Shah's old dirty tricks boys, President Romney can start his administration's foreign policy program off with a bang!
Newt's checkin out her hijab hooters.
Is that Islamic for "potato sack covered fun bags?"
Real Americans don't speak with terrorists against the Iranian regime, a government we don't like! They sell weapons to that Iranian regime to fund other terrorists against governments we don't like.
Is Maryam wife number 4 for Newt?
When do they fly Palin to Paris to call Ahmadinejad a dingbat?
Paris, Texas?
Don't know about Clarence Page's motives but I'm pretty sure Callista needed some new Tiffany's bling to help warm the depths of her cold, empty soul.
Newt is a traitor's idea of what a patriot looks like.
I'm a little sad about Clarence Page- I didn't know he was a terrorist…
Why would Newt do this? Oh right…
The MEK has spent millions of dollars on lobbyists, PR agents and communications firms to orchestrate an unprecedented political campaign to pressure its way off the terrorist list.
http://www.niacouncil.org/site/PageServer?pagenam…
Hey, those whore diamonds aren't cheap…
He isn't bowing to a lady, he's bowing to a hijab made of money.
Where the fark is Newton's American flag lapel pin!!//???111!!!!
What is not to understand here? My terrorist enemy and my terrorist enemy's terrorist enemy are both my terrorist enemies.
Newt is the Ayatollah of the mighty dollah… where ever it is to be found.
Wonder which one would have the bigger cameltoe in a pair of JUICY sweatpants.
Newt: "Hey, hawtstuff!"
Maryam Rajavi: "Really."
Ryszard Kapuściński wrote an excellent book about Iran just before & during the revolution called 'Shah of Shahs'.
I remember "Shah of Shahs" — my grandmother loved Sid Caesar!
Imagine the outrage if the Kenyan Usurper ran off to Frogland to bow down to terrrrrists from one of those -istan ending countries. "President prostrates himself in front of Islamic terrorist, accepts bribe."
I'm pro-choice an everything, but I'd be kind of grossed out to say I've made my fortune by investing in fetus disposal… Romney was supposedly THE guy at Bain for that company and had over 2 million shares in it. I mean, geez, what if that was Barbara Boxer they'd call her Fetus Queen and protest her every appearance… right? Ick… Romney and his dirty abortion money.
Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of this particular line of attack coming from the Left; it's fine if the theocrats want to push it, because they hate modern medicine in its totality.
But Stericycle does a pretty critical job for health care settings (disposing of sharps, expired medications, etc) and pushing the "aborted fetus company" line obscures that while reinforcing a pretty damned ugly anti-choice narrative at the same time.
There's plenty of stuff about Bain that's ample ground to criticize Mittens, so I kinda wish we'd steer clear of attacking the fact that modern medicine (including abortions) creates icky medical waste, which is icky.
Thanks for the press release.
Whatever. I work at a hospital. We use stericycle because fucking everybody uses stericycle. I just think it's a bad direction to go because it plays into some of the shittier anti-choice, anti-modern medicine talking points. Let the theocrats make that case if they want, they certainly have enough practice at it.
OK, I get you. The company's fine…I don't want Romney for president. I want this, which was his job, to be on him, and for the purists of anti-abortion to know it.
You're a better person than I am, then. I'd be milking "dead baby disposal/baby corpse dispatcher" like there was no tomorrow if it kept the batshit crazy Republicans out of office. Sometimes, the ends do, indeed, justify the means. Sorry.
The fun thing about this is watching his wingnuttiest supporters try to wrap their head around this in the run up to the election.
Wingnut 1 – Oh dear lord…Romney invested in a company that disposes of fetuses?
Wingnut 2 – Oh my, this doesn't fit within our ridged pro-life world view. What shall we do?
Wingnut 1 – It is indeed a conundrum.
Wingnut 2 – Wait, is Obama still a black man?
Wingnut 1 – Why yes, he is!
Wingnut 2 – Problem solved!!
I wonder….
I have a hard time believing that John Bolton is pro-anything-dealing-with-Iran that doesn't involve the words "carpet bombing the ragheads back to the Paleolithic Era."
I believe the rag paper currency was American.
He gave the money back, but what did he do with the virgins?
He gave back 37 of the 72.
Were they still shrink wrapped?
They were self deported to Kolob.
Utah? Is there another Kolob somewheres?
The next bunch of mujahideen (sp?) to pop up for support. I wonder if we will be bright enough to realize *this* time that while "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" one might not want to crawl into bed with them. No offense to hijab Hanna there in the blue…
See, this just proves how weak Obama is. He has Newt in Paris attending a terrorist camp, and yet he just lets him come back into the country. Do you think Dick Cheney would ever be so weak?
FIFY.
Apparently they dig Chinese prostitutes as well as Islamic terrorists.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2012/0…
Classy group of people, this GOP.
"I'm shocked, shocked, to find out there's prostitution going on in this establishment!"
"Your rent boy, sir."
That's appropriate. It may explain why I read the banner on the picture as calling for their de-fisting.
Newt was not bowing at 1:02.
Phhhtttt!
He's just getting a better whiff of that Iranian Kush.
Wife # 4?
Sister-wife #2. Maryam's cool w/ it, & Callista gets more Hoor Diamonds.
No, on closer examination, Maryam looks to be too old to be Fathead's daughter. Automatic disqualification.
Hitler was born 100 years too early, I'm sure he would have had a laurel and a hearty handshake from today's GOP.
He had it from the GOP back then-the Dulles brothers, Nelson Rockafeller and especially Prescott Bush.
Also Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh.
I was just talking actual Republican politicians, but yeah, them too. True story-the prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials asked the head of the Hitlerjugend what was his major ideological influence (expecting Mein Kampf). The answer? The Dearborn Independent, which he got from relatives living in America.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tried to get 'em to join his Hitler fan club, but they don't read Farsi so good.
Guess those interviews at CNN and MSNBC didn't work out for Newt.
ANy word on when Newt will return his fees and paid expenses, too, also?
When Satan wears skates.
Remember what a horrible embarrassment it was when the Black President literally SOLD the United States of America to Saudi Arabia when he bowed toward the Saudi king? This is different because Newt has no power or influence, I guess.
I seem to remember W making a public display of affection towards a Saudi prince.
That was just a little tongue action between bro's!
I also remember when a certain president almost sold out the operation of our seaports to a foreign government, too.
Bowing to heads of state: selling out America, to the terrorists.
Bowing to terrorist cult leaders, for whom you are providing material support to? Pffft. Why do you love Iran so much?
Unwanted extremists of dubious ethics, rejected by the mainstream in their native countries, gotta stick together.
To be fair to Newt, he might have been told that the good lady didn't shake hands because of Islamic gender laws. They wouldn't HAVE to go so far as to tell him that no one wants to touch his sweaty, pasty white hands.
Hummm…hijab wearing women and a group of Mujahadin…how could we POSSIBLY go wrong supporting them?
A little OT perhaps, but I thought republicans, especially Republicans, were not supposed to bow to foreign dignitaries. Or is that yet another old practice they have abandoned..along with critical thinking, &c?
No, Republicans have bowed to foreign dignitaries when appropriate; it's just bad for a black Democratic president to do so for some reason.
Interesting to see the bipartisan coalition trying to get Hillary to rescind the terrorism designation dating from her husband's presidency…
So this group only hired Ole Newt to speak to them, right?
He didn't promise to do any lobbying, or influence peddling, or other assistance in getting off the terrorist roster?
Did he?
They hired him as a historical consultant, which is totally different, of course.
Given his long career as an institutional shithead, nobody can really question Newt's ability to get off, me thinks.
Neither can his mistresses.
are you sure Maryam Rajavi is not Chalabi in a drag?
She could even be Ahmadinejad in drag. I wouldn't recognize him without the beard.
So, Page reportedly returned his $20K speaking fee. Newtie probably doesn't fart in public for that kind of money, so when will he be returning his fee? Is the weatherman calling for snow in Hell?
When Newt Gingrich arrived in Paris last week
gross.
“I thought they were simply a group of Iranian exiles who were opposed to the regime in Tehran,” Page said.
Clarence Page is a long time reporter, columnist, editor and now editorial board member of the Chicago Tribune so naturally it wouldn't occur to him to make a few phone calls or even ask some "sources" about the MEK before he flew to Paris.
The Trib hasn't ever bothered with that kind of stuff going back to the days of Colonel McCormick.
All of them, Katie. Whores, the lot of them.
BTW, Clarence Page has always reminded me of a low-rent Bill Cosby aprpos of nothing.
Anything that John Bolton vouches for must be good
In Page's defense, the google is inoperable in Iran, after all.
He BOWED??!!
If you guys could just bomb America and help get a Republican elected, we'll give you some arms and even throw in some coke and a night on the town with Snowy Owl, over there..
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