Reuters Won't Identify Democrats in Trouble, But Readily Identifies Islamist Extremists as Conservatives

We've all become accustomed to the running gag called Name That Party, the daily exercise by the media to scrupulously avoid labeling Democrat politicians in trouble as Democrats.

However, when it comes to stories out of the Middle East, the wire services seem to go out of their way to label hardline Islamists as conservatives. You never see anyone labeled a liberal. Anything even approaching a moderate usually gets called reformist, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean.

Funny how that is.

Case in point:

Conservatives forge ahead in Iran parliament vote

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Conservatives took an early lead in an election for Iran's 290-seat parliament with 108 seats to 33 for their reformist opponents, Iran's state Press TV said on Saturday, citing unofficial results so far.

Friday's election was seen as likely to keep conservatives in control of parliament, while adding more voices critical of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's economic policies.

Many reformists, trying to capitalize on public discontent over inflation, were blocked from standing in the polls.

Even if conservatives continue to hold most assembly seats, reformists expect the president to face sharper scrutiny.

Most creatively, the Iranians even have a new term for the conservatives.

Interior Minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi said more than 71 percent of seats decided so far had gone to "principlists" -- a label conservatives use to describe their loyalty to the Islamic Republic's ideals. Reformists had taken about 29 percent. He did not say how many seats had been decided.

Results for the 30 seats up for grabs in Tehran were expected to be announced within a couple of days, Pourmohammadi said.

Two conservative factions ran in the election. The United Front, the larger and more pro-government of the two, confusingly includes critics as well as supporters of Ahmadinejad.