Saruman the White was a wizard....

niacINsight picked up the following from Salon:

• They want to keep us indoors, and quiet. But which subversive programmer picked “The Lord of the Rings”?
• In Tehran, state television’s Channel Two is putting on a “Lord of the Rings” marathon, part of a bigger push to keep us busy. Movie mad and immunized from international copyright laws, Iranians are normally treated to one or two Hollywood or European movie nights a week. Now it’s two or three films a day. The message is “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”
  

Perhaps Khamenei does not look like Saruman. But actions?

• With his sweet lies Saruman tried to persuade Gandalf to join him.....
• Saruman likes to be the first in everything. There is a spirit of unsporting competitiveness and envy within him....
• Theoden in his turn affirms that “you are a liar, Saruman, and a corrupter of men's hearts.” And Gandalf adds: “Saruman, you missed your path in life. You should have been the king's jester and earned your bread, and stripes too, by mimicking his counsellors.”
• Saruman didn’t trust anyone and didn’t want to surrender.
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