The Ayatollah Votes

Article written by William Safire

In October of 1980, with the presidential election on the horizon, Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran endorsed Jimmy Carter for President. Ayatollah Khomeini was extremely anti-American, and the Iran Hostage Crisis occurred under his auspices, so Americans, understandably, were not very fond of the Ayatollah. William Safire’s article in the New York Times voiced the opinion that Khomeini supported Carter because he wanted a “weak and manageable U.S. President.” This was a blow to Carter’s campaign, and a boon to Reagan’s. Reagan’s campaign even aired a commercial referencing the article.