"If you are right that change has come, where is that change? What is the sign of that change? Make it clear for us what has changed.''

"Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed overtures from President Barak Obama...."

Preliminary observation: Yikes. The New York Times is misspelling the President's name in the first sentence of a lead news story. Is doom near?

Primary observation: Obama charmed us American's with his hopey-changey rhetoric. He even made (some of) us think that he would transform world politics by talking the right way. Like this:



But — it's no surprise — they aren't buying it:

In his most direct assessment of Obama and prospects for improved ties, Khamenei said there will be no change between the two countries unless the American president puts an end to U.S. hostility toward Iran and brings ''real changes'' in foreign policy.

''They chant the slogan of change but no change is seen in practice. We haven't seen any change."...

... Khamenei asked how Obama could congratulate Iranians on the new year and accuse the country of supporting terrorism and seeking nuclear weapons in the same message.

''As long as the U.S. government continues the same policies and directions of the previous 30 years, we will be the same nation of the past 30 years,'' Khamenei said. ''The Iranian nation can't be deceived or threatened.''

Of course not. And it was silly ever to think that it could.