Khamenei's supremacy

Ahmadinejad obviously wants to keep his job.

Ahmadinejad said in a speech aired on state TV that his relationship with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is one of father and son, based on kindness.

Conservatives have increasingly criticized Ahmadinejad the past two weeks after he stalled in implementing an order from Khamenei that he fire his top vice president, whom Ahmadinejad finally dismissed.

Khamenei's office still carries weight, but the supreme leader is looking less supreme by the day. Would you have believed, a year ago, that Iran's president would have to offer reassurance that he's loyal to Khamenei? Or that conservative Iranian newspapers would demand the prosecution of Khamenei's security forces?