European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 21, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 the stars and stripes columns David Ignatius Khomeini death reports greatly exaggerated the oddest thing about Ayalon Lah Khomeini s death threat last month against British author Salman Rushdie was that Khomeini was alive to make it. After All was t Khomeini supposedly at death s door last year and the year be fore that and the year before that one of these Days undoubtedly Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini is in fact going to die. But As he awaits that inevitable moment the 87-year-old iranian ruler must be having a laugh it the pre mature death notices that have appeared in the Western press during the past dec Ade. ". -. Almost from the moment he took Power in february 1979, Khomeini has been portrayed in newspaper accounts As a disease Ridden old Man with Only a Short Lime to live. Speculation about the Post Khomeini Era began just a few months after the Start of the Khomeini Era itself. For reporters the words ail ing and Khomeini seemed to go to Gether As neatly As mercurial and Qadhafi make no mistake by every account the Ayatollah is a very sick Man. Tow Cia believes he has prostate cancer which has probably spread to his liver in Addi Tion to heart disease bad eyesight and general feebleness. He s probably got at most a few months to live. Of course the Cia was saying that a year ago but its assessment is bound to come , before Khomeini docs finally shuffle off this mortal Coil it May be instructive to take a stroll Down infirmity Lane. A review of press reports that have a Peari d during the past decade suggests either that the Ayatollah has a persian cat or thai somebody has been pulling our s health was apparently none Loo Good a decade ago when he. Returned Home from exile. His health was so frail on the Day of his triumphant return to Tehran in 1979, that he fainted at Mehraban Airport,1 journalist Robin Wrigh wrote in an article in the new yorker last year. Wit Jiin a year of taking Power Khomeini was said to be suffering from heart ailments. In january 1980 the Imam had moved to Tehran to receive treatment a heart condition and he suffered minor heart attack in the Spring of 19 to wrote iranian journalist Amir Tahri in his Book the spirit of the first reports Hal Khomeini was t just sick but actually dead came in 1984.united press International reported on aug. 6 that a person claiming to be an iranian student studying in the United slates told up he had heard the iranian Leader was dead on a Public news Broad cast from Tehran monitored on Short wave radio " an iranian spokesman promptly de Nied the report but that did t Stop Iran expert Shireen to Hunter from opining in the new York times iwo weeks later that the Post Khomeini Era in Iran has already begun Post Khomeini reportage surged Ward in november 1985 when Iran announced that an Assembly of mullahs had chosen Khomeini s successor Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri. The announcement by the state news Agency Irna gave Rise o speculation that Ayulo Llali Khomeini aged s3, might have died or be seriously ill wrote the London times on nov. 25. The Aya Iol Lah emerged several Days later to Delivera Scucch attacking the Wem Cro news media."Khomeini1 problem was thai he had suffered a heart attack in the summer of 1985, according to the associated press which reported on nov. 6, 1986 one iranian analyst speaking on condition of anonymity said he Learned. From a unimpeachable Tehran source that Kho Meini Long ailing suffered another heart Aii ack last summer reports that Iran s Ayatollah Kho Meini is seriously ill Are circulating in Western capitals noted the Washington Post on nov. 20, 1986. And the Wall Street journal reported on dec. Ii 1986 precious metals prices Rose in a flurry of Early buying triggered by a weaker Dollar and widespread rumours thai iranian Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had by 1987, the Ayatollah was reportedly railing apart. Abc news broadcast on Jan. 12 that Khomeini is losing the use of his tags his eyesight is tailing and he cannot control his bodily functions. Inti mates fear his death is a matter of Days or weeks a brain tumor was Khomeini s prob Lem reported the French Magazine l express in september 1987. Citing iranian sources the news weekly added thai an austrian surgeon named or. Fellinger would be operating on Khomeini in no vember to remove the Luxor and Hal several viennese clinics had been alerted. Those viennese doctors resumed to the news pages in december 19b7, when the London times reported that two austrian doctors and a British colleague had left Vienna Tehran. The times said Khomeini was in a coma. An Irani an spokesman described the report As utter but Khomeini s main problem was really cancer of the prostate. That at least was the Cia s judgment in an intelligence report disclosed by lbs news on june 9, 19s3. A subsequent new York times account said the Cia believed Ayatollah Khomeini s cancer has spread to his liver. In addition the Irani an Leader has difficulty tolerating the medications he must take his ail ments which include heart trouble High blood pressure and poor eyesight. He is also believed to have undergone dialysis treatment presumably kidney prob lems. A Cia commentary added to the report concludes Llinat based on the medi Cal information Ayatollah Khomeini will probably die within the nest .,. Thai was nearly 10 months ago. Since then Khomeini has met with various foreign diplomats including soviet eign minister Eduard Shevardnadze an has issued his death threat against Rush die. Obviously the Ayatollah could go any. Minute. But his daughter said in a interview in Tehran last month that Khomeini lakes three 30-Minulc walks a Day to slay fit and at night does leg lifts and Torso twisting exercises in Igni Hul 11 mlle 61 of Wihl Nguol pail l Dill Jim Fain much a Jan eco Congress getting rare tribute now and then say once every 100 or so years somebody ought o say a kind word about Congress. We co Csc an ear. With merciful Liming considering what s been going on pcs has scheduled the con Gress an affectionate tour of a much bashed body. Sandwiched Between the a Ralpd John Tower show and the pending exhibit of speaker Jim Wright s Lin Gerie this 90-minute film is an understanding examination of an institution As american As the nearest Bowling Alley. It May raise Congress approval rating to rough parity with the Ayatollah Khomeini s. As in its recent salary fiasco con Gress from the git go has had a Genius Klutz iness. It s the inspector clouseau of politics. Hark to will Rogers there is no distinctly american criminal class except even recent Wall Street Jour Nal editorials Don t match conservatives have been the legislative Branch s toughest critics. When Roosevelt Truman and Kennedy occupied he while House a congressional bloc of Midwest republicans and Southern Dix in craps gridlocked much of what they wanted to do. In those Days gop Pompon wielders hailed Congress As the last outpost Between the body politic and total insanity. With the right enthroned in the Oval office and democrats gave Ling Congress they shifted their opprobrium up Pennsylvania Avenue. The conservative heritage foundation recently published a Book the Imperial Congress depicting Capitol Hill As equal partner to alar treated Apple pie As a menace to the american Way. Xxv ii Ai if they re right it s the enemy Pogo Long ago i ered us. The most representative Force in go ment and maybe in the country Congress mirrors the Good the bad and the ugly in us All. As the film Points out americans invariably berate Congress and find their individual congressman surprisingly decent. Trs been like that since its creation 200 years ago. The first Congress could t conduct business Tor tack of a quorum when the laggards limped in they promptly passed the Bill of rights. Aj1 there in the pcs him warts aplenty along with eloquent agonies Over slavery and preservation of the Union. Jot Mccarthy and Joseph Welch Don t thank la scour govern Eisenhower he left it to Congress to purge its own cancer. Bosses martyrs demagogues statesmen buffoons patriots. Ken bums the film s disc Cir found himself Joyful by drowning in Congress a he went along. They be Long been the whipping boy of this democracy he said but they re really us to Burn the Tower in 1 Broglio was nothing out of the Ordinary. They re doing exactly whal they should be elect them 10 make a lot of a two headed Monsler thought up by founding fathers who had Learned to Trust no one. Congress has served us better than we deserve enacts alien and sedition acts in one generation it comes along with astonishing humanity in another to offset the callous Ness of a Glitz imploded Reagan Raj. At the moment it s providing president Bush who neglected to bring his own with an Agenda he devoutly docs not crave comically pompous exasperating vain often Petty Congress manages through same divine dispensation of democracy to reach the right conclusion ofic Werthan not. By the end of the 21st Century in May Well deserve yet another two gun Salu to
