Iran Curtails Freedom In Throwback to 1979  —  Iran is in the midst of a sweeping crackdown that both Iranians and U.S. analysts compare to a cultural revolution in its attempt to steer the oil-rich theocracy back to the rigid strictures of the 1979 revolution.

Facing Sanction, Duke Prosecutor Says He'll Resign  —  Michael B. Nifong, the Durham County district attorney, announced Friday that he would resign, as he faces disciplinary charges for his handling of a sexual assault prosecution against three former Duke University lacrosse players who were later declared innocent.

'Hamas was forced to take over Gaza'  —  Hamas leader-in-exile Khaled Mashaal said Friday evening that Hamas recognizes Mahmoud Abbas as the head of the Palestinian Authority, and that his group wants to cooperate with him for the sake of the Palestinian people.

Timmeh  —  Could The Nation team up with Air America and offer to sponsor a Republican debate please?  We'll even let Lionel be involved.  —  Though, this bit of punditing from the patron saint of  —  Buffalo was even better:

Polished and Upbeat, Romney Tries to Connect  —  WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Mitt Romney loves the word "great."  As in, "Have a great day," "Things are going great," "I'm feeling great."  Mr. Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, also looks great, sounds great and smells great, like shaving cream.

Inside the Ring  —  China arming terrorists  —  New intelligence reveals China is covertly supplying large quantities of small arms and weapons to insurgents in Iraq and the Taliban militia in Afghanistan, through Iran.  —  U.S. government appeals to China to check some of the arms shipments …

Iran Strategy Stirs Debate at White House  —  A year after President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced a new strategy toward Iran, a behind-the-scenes debate has broken out within the administration over whether the approach has any hope of reining in Iran's nuclear program …

Iraq Contractors Face Growing Parallel War  —  As Security Work Increases, So Do Casualties  —  BAGHDAD — Private security companies, funded by billions of dollars in U.S. military and State Department contracts, are fighting insurgents on a widening scale in Iraq, enduring daily attacks …

Another Justice Dept. Official Resigns  —  Another Justice Department official involved in last year's dismissals of federal prosecutors is resigning, department officials said on Friday.  —  In this case, the departure of Michael J. Elston, chief of staff to the outgoing deputy attorney general …

An Also-Ran in the GOP Polls, Ron Paul Is Huge on the Web  —  On Technorati, which offers a real-time glimpse of the blogosphere, the most frequently searched term this week was "YouTube."  —  Then comes "Ron Paul."  —  The presence of the obscure Republican congressman from Texas on a list …

The Saturday Cartoons  —  We have an added treat today: Another animation from our friend, Nick Anderson.  This time, Nick gives us a fun game to play called Bush Administration Missile Defense and it's a takeoff on the old arcade game.  It's certainly a challenge to make this defense system work — give it a try.

Guest Voice: Obama's (and America's) Generation Problem  —  NOTE: The Moderate Voice runs Guest Voice posts from time to time by readers who don't have their own websites, or people who have websites but would like to post something for TMV's diverse and thoughtful readership.

Mental Illness In The Military On The Rise  —  Troops Returning From Iraq And Afghanistan Tours With Post-Traumatic Stress  —  (CBS) Mental health disorders are snowballing as more and more soldiers and Marines are sent back for repeat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports.

Conservative bloggers revolt over immigration … WASHINGTON (CNN) — Different conservative blogs have different pet issues — government transparency, federal judges, Fred Thompson, to name a few.  —  But no issue in recent memory has united conservative bloggers like the debate over immigration.

Contingency?  Irony?  Solidarity!  —  Young Ezra observes that "One could easily imagine a left win that's closer to the Dobbsian/Christian Democrat compromise of social conservatism with economic progressivism."  And, as he says, it's easy to imagine a situation in which politics takes place …