Railroaders place to shoot the shit.

Well he's just plain 'exhausted.' Why? I don't know. Probably from dodgin' all the shit bein' thrown at him by his own people, and the rest of the world. Poor guy. I wouldn't give his troubles to a monkey on a rock!

Iranian president suffering from exhaustion

TEHRAN, Iran - Hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday he is suffering from simple exhaustion, in a rare public disclosure apparently designed to combat widespread Tehran rumors he is more seriously ill.

There are growing signals even some supporters hope Ahmadinejad wont seek a second term in crucial elections next year.

"Thanks to God, I do not have an illness. Exhaustion is possible, but no illness," Ahmadinejad told a reporter on the sideline of a meeting in Tehran. The footage was aired on state television Sunday night.

"Of course, we are also human beings, and sometimes we catch a cold," he said, adding that there was "no room" for illness in his administration.

Earlier, Parliament member Mohammad Ismail Kowsari, an ally of the president, announced that Ahmadinejad was feeling sick because of the strain of his job, according to the state-run news agency, IRNA.

But he downplayed the seriousness of Ahmadinejads fatigue.

"The president will eventually get better and continue working," said Kowsari, who accompanied Ahmadinejad last month to the U.N. General Assembly. "Every human being can face exhaustion under such a workload."

Ahmadinejad, who is known for working long hours and getting little sleep, has low blood pressure and has gone to the hospital occasionally to seek treatment, said Mohammad Hossein Saffar Harandi, the Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

"Even if you are immortal, you will suffer from working so much. ... That is what has happened several times to Mr. President over the last years. However, he is up and about and fresher than us right now," he told reporters Sunday.

Rumors that Ahmadinejad was seriously ill have been popping up on some Iranian Web sites affiliated with the presidents opponents for several months. One of his cleric supporters, Ayatollah Abolqasem Khazali, had even warned Ahmadinejad that his work habits could lead to hospitalization.

But a flurry reports appeared after Ahmadinejad, who will turn 53 on Monday, canceled a scheduled speech at a conference on Wednesday and did not attend a Cabinet meeting the same day.

However, Ahmadinejad did attend a religious ceremony on Saturday in Tehran, though he looked tired as he greeted supporters. State TV also showed him receiving credentials of three foreign ambassadors on Sunday.

Kowsari accused opponents of using Ahmadinejads illness as an excuse to spread rumors casting doubt on whether he will run for a second term.

"Those who use such a natural issue for psychological warfare will fail" to gain support in public opinion, he said.

Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, every Iranian president has been re-elected to a second term, except the first one, Abolhasan Banisadr, who fled the country in 1981.

But Ahmadinejad has grown increasingly unpopular in Iran, not just with reformists but also among some conservatives who say his policies have not done enough to help the ailing economy.

In recent weeks, even some supporters of Ahmadinejad have been discussing potential candidates for the June 2009 election, implying that the sitting president is not their automatic choice.

Earlier this month, a prominent conservative analyst Amir Mohebian said conservatives now consider "going beyond Ahmadinejad a wise possibility."

Some reports in October also said a group of conservatives discussed the possible candidacy of Ali Akbar Nateq Nouri, a top conservative cleric close to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Irans supreme leader.

In August, Nateq Nouri publicly criticized Ahmadinejads economic policies, saying they threaten to keep Iran from its goal of becoming a regional superpower by 2025.

Independent political analyst, Javad Daliri, said Ahmadinejad would definitely run for the next presidential campaign but the possibility of having other conservatives vying for votes is high.

"Among conservatives there is criticism over Ahmadinejads domestic and foreign policies. Also many conservative figures were not invited to the Ahmadinejads administration, despite their expectations," he said.

The months ahead are critical for Ahmadinejad if he wants to try to rebuild his political base and rebut critics who point to his unfulfilled campaign promises, including his pledge to extend Irans oil revenues to poorer provinces around the country.

With more than 10 percent unemployment and 30 percent inflation, Iran was unable to bask in record-high oil prices earlier this year. And now with oil prices falling, Iran is certain to face a budget squeeze that could severely complicate Ahmadinejads last months before he faces re-election.

Ahmadinejad is also confronting questions about his uncompromising stance with the West over Irans nuclear program, which has severely soured international relations. The U.N. has also placed three rounds of sanctions against Iran since Ahmadinejad took office in 2005 over Irans refusal to halt uranium enrichment.

-- Edited by Uke at 13:57, 2008-10-26