In light of recent events, perhaps it should be a dotted line from “people” to “president”.

This is pretty misleading, since it feeds the lie that the people actually get any real part in deciding their leaders. When an unelected group decides who is even eligible to run, and independent monitors are barred from the voting sites, the people have no true voice at all.

So, if I understand this correctly, the elected branches of the on-going Islamic Revolution are “balanced” (read: controlled) by the Supreme Leader. This would be funny if the source didn't actually use the word “balanced” to describe the relationship between the Supreme Leader and the President and Parliament. Also, the suggestion that “voters” have anything to do with picking the Experts (and, by extension, the Supreme Leader), is a bit insulting to our intelligence.

US is far more complex. Who are the experts, and how exactly do they “monitor” the Supreme Leader”?