When Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called last month for Israel to be wiped off the map of the world, he displayed a disregard for the international community that proved he is a genuine disciple of the late Ayatollah Khomeini. But his proposal also showed that he hasn't learned any lessons from recent Iranian history. In a country where public opinion takes shape in direct opposition to the regime, the objects of hostile statements like Ahmadinejad's almost always win friends among young Iranians.

Take the United States. Twenty-five years of demonizing America has only sent the Great Satan's popularity skyrocketing so high that many political pundits speak of Iran as the biggest red state outside U.S. borders. Now, in similar fashion, the passion for the Palestinian cause is cooling, and the average Iranian is beginning to look at Israel with new interest...