IRAN VOTES - AT 7:40 A.M. ET:  Iranians go to the polls today to elect a president.  Will they turn Ahmadinejad out of office?  The campaign has been lively, even vicious at times.  But remember a basic fact:  No matter who wins, the ultimate power rests with the mullahs.  Also, please note that no candidate has pledged any compromise on Iran's nuclear program.  So, if a so-called "moderate" wins, and the White House goes giddy, stay calm.  It's a show.  The Washington Post sets the scene:

TEHRAN, June 12 -- A long column of provincial, working-class Iranians, clad in black and walking in flip-flops, streamed into a highway underpass, heading for a reelection rally for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Standing on a high ledge safely out of the way, a group of cosmopolitan youths looked down at the crowd of mostly out-of-towners. "Go back to the zoo!" shouted a teenager with gelled-up hair and a green T-shirt, a sign of support for Ahmadinejad's main challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi.

"Sissies!" the marchers yelled back.

COMMENT:  At least they're communicating.  My friend, Iranian political analyst Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi, says that there will be bitter infighting among the Iranian leadership, regardless of the outcome of the election.

We will be following the returns closely.  We'll also tell you if the winner sends a tingle up Chris Matthews's leg.

June 12, 2009