Anti-American professor Juan Cole has rather famously claimed that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was “misquoted” in his infamous “Israel must be wiped off the map” statement. Search Google for that phrase and you’ll find tons of lefty and Islamist web sites eagerly promoting Cole’s obfuscation.

So how will the malevolent Juan Cole and his useful idiot followers explain this?

A woman walks past a poster featuring portraits of (L-R) Israeli military intelligence chief General Amos Yedlin, Mossad chief Meir Dagan and Defence Minister Ehud Barak during an anti-Israeli ceremony in Tehran. Iranian hardline students have offered rewards totalling a million dollars for the “execution” of the three Israeli military leaders. (AFP/Atta Kenare)

Or this?

A student stands behind a podium as a video of Hezbollah’s Leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah plays during a pro-Palestinian meeting at a cultural centre in Tehran March 9, 2008. Students agreed on a one-million dollar reward for the murder of three Israeli commanders, Ehud Barak, Amos Yadlin and Meir Dagan. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN)

Also notice the bizarre lukewarm language used by Reuters and AFP in their captions: a “pro-Palestinian meeting” with a poster saying “Israel must be wiped off the map?” A poster “featuring portraits” with no mention of the crosshairs painted on their foreheads?

What the hell is wrong with our mainstream wire services?