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From the opening of the interview, which you can watch below:
Hemmer: What happens if [Ahmadinejad] loses? Does it change much for us?Bolton goes on to point out that the real dispute between hardliners and moderates on the nuclear issue may actually be whether you have Ahmadinejad out there proclaiming that he's proceeding with the nuclear program and wants to wipe Israel off the map or you have a moderate who "proceeds with the nuclear program but is smart enough to keep his mouth shut."
Bolton: It doesn’t change the fundamental direction of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs or its support for terrorism, because those are controlled by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who’s the “supreme jurist”—under Iran’s system, the president is not the highest official in their government.
There could well be changes inside Iran—I think that’s what a lot of this campaign debate has been about—but on the critical elements of foreign and security policy, Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guards will remain very firmly in control.
Watch the whole thing:
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