Bush’s criticism of Iranian vote backfires on Washington

? Iran’s spy chief used just two words to respond to White House ridicule of last week’s presidential election: “Thank you.”

His sarcasm was barely hidden. The backfire on Washington was more evident.

The sharp barbs from President Bush were widely seen in Iran as damaging to pro-reform groups because the comments appeared to have boosted turnout among hard-liners in Friday’s election – with the result being that an ultraconservative now is in a two-way showdown for the presidency.

“I say to Bush: ‘Thank you,'” quipped Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi. “He motivated people to vote in retaliation.”

Bush’s comments – blasting the ruling clerics for blocking “basic requirements of democracy” – became a lively sideshow in Iran’s closest election since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Bush described the election as an exercise in futility because Iran’s real power rests with the non-elected Islamic clerics, who can override the president and parliament. Many agree with that description of a regime that allowed just eight presidential candidates from more than 1,000 hopefuls.

On Sunday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the election shows that the country is out of step with democratic reforms in the Middle East.

A large poster of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who will face Tehran's hard-line mayor in Iran's first runoff presidential election in its history, is seen behind a public bus Sunday in Tehran, Iran.

But the harder the United States has pushed, even with the best of intentions, the more ground it has seems to lose among mainstream Iranians, who represent possible key allies against the Islamic establishment, say some analysts of Iranian politics.

“Unknowingly, (Bush) pushed Iranians to vote so that they can prove their loyalty to the regime – even if they are in disagreement with it,” said Hamed al-Abdullah, a political science professor at Kuwait University.

The unexpectedly strong turnout – nearly 63 percent – produced a true surprise in the No. 2 finish of hard-line Tehran Mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, He will face the top finisher, moderate statesman Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, in a Friday runoff.

Bush is trying to firm up the United States’ pro-democracy credentials by encouraging gradual reforms in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.

The Bush comments are an example of “the kind of American intervention” that often boomerangs in the region, said Egyptian political analyst Salama Ahmed Salama.

“Bush meant to discourage the hard-liners,” he said, “but instead he mobilized their supporters.”