One small comment on Professor Mark Levine's take on Iran

For those of you who went to The Middle East in 2007 talk last week, for now I have one public comment:

Professor Mark Levine stated repeatedly, even under harsh questioning by a member of the audience (not me), that Iran was not a theocracy.

To which I must respond: WTF? When the unelected religious leader of a country:
- has veto power over the elected legislature and executive branches (without any ability to override that veto);
- "is Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, controls the military intelligence and security operations; and has sole power to declare war;"
- appoints "the heads of the judiciary, state radio and television networks, the commanders of the police and military forces and six of the twelve members of the Council of Guardians;"
- takes all guidance not from civil law, but scripture and scripture alone

And let's not leave out the ability of the unelected religious clerics to veto - again without any ability to override that veto - who can and who cannot run for public office...

Gee, I would call that a theocracy.

Professor Levine should correct the record and apologize for misleading students.