Mahmoud Ahmadinejad certainly is a homophobe and a religious extremist, but he is not the dictator of Iran.

Here is the definition of "dictator." ( from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

Main Entry: dic·ta·tor
Pronunciation: 'dik-"tA-t&r, dik-'
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, from dictare
1 a : a person granted absolute emergency power; especially : one appointed by the senate of ancient Rome b : one holding complete autocratic control c : one ruling absolutely and often oppressively
2 : one that dictates

Ahmadinejad usually is described as being a dictator of Iran based on the first definition, being an absolutely powerful autocrat. There is an obvious problem with this description. In Iran, the president is not the most powerful person in the country.

Here is some information from Wikipedia on the structure of Iran's government:

The political system of the Islamic Republic is based on the 1979 Constitution called the "Qanun-e Asasi" ("Fundamental Law"). The system comprises several intricately connected governing bodies. The Supreme Leader of Iran is responsible for delineation and supervision of "the general policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran". The Supreme Leader is Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, controls the military intelligence and security operations; and has sole power to declare war. The heads of the judiciary, state radio and television networks, the commanders of the police and military forces and six of the twelve members of the Council of Guardians are appointed by the Supreme Leader. The Assembly of Experts elects and dismisses the Supreme Leader on the basis of qualifications and popular esteem.[73] The Assembly of Experts is responsible for supervising the Supreme Leader in the performance of legal duties.

After the Supreme Leader, the Constitution defines the President of Iran as the highest state authority. The President is elected by universal suffrage for a term of four years. Presidential candidates must be approved by the Council of Guardians prior to running in order to ensure their allegiance to the ideals of the Islamic revolution. The President is responsible for the implementation of the Constitution and for the exercise of executive powers, except for matters directly related to the Supreme Leader, who has the final say in all matters. The President appoints and supervises the Council of Ministers, coordinates government decisions, and selects government policies to be placed before the legislature. Eight Vice-Presidents serve under the President, as well as a cabinet of twenty-one ministers, who must all be approved by the legislature. Unlike many other states, the executive branch in Iran does not control the armed forces. Although the President appoints the Ministers of Intelligence and Defense, it is customary for the President to obtain explicit approval from the Supreme Leader for these two ministers before presenting them to the legislature for a vote of confidence. Iran's current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was elected in a run-off poll in the 2005 presidential elections. His term expires in 2009.

Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the current supreme leader of Iran. He is the one who has ultimate power in Iran, yet we read and here little about him in the US, especially from the corporate media. Ahmadinejad may make a lot of heinous noise and certainly has important administrative powers, but our media's obsession with him is preventing the US public from forming fact-based opinions on Iran.

Considering all the talk of a US/Iran military conflict, this basically locks the vast majority of the American people out of any informed debate at a time when we as a people should be deciding whether or not we should attack Iran. The politicians and the corporate media are treating the American people like sheep.