Top Items:
ABC News:
Extraordinary scenes: Robert Fisk in Iran — The long-standing Middle East correspondent for The Independent, Robert Fisk, is defying the government crackdown on foreign media reporting in Iran. — As he explains, he has been travelling around the streets of Tehran all day and most of the night and things are far from quiet:
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Nazila Fathi / New York Times:
Bracing for New Protests, Iran Issues Media Warning — TEHRAN — Tehran braced for a possible third day of defiance by opposition supporters on Wednesday after Iran's leaders failed to halt huge demonstrations against last week's disputed election results. — Placed on the defensive …
Discussion:
Reuters, Associated Press, The Washington Independent, CNN, Wall Street Journal, The Spirit of Man, Washington Post, Guardian, Media Decoder, Commentary, Silicon Alley Insider, BBC, The Foundry, ATTACKERMAN, The Corner, Townhall.com, New York Magazine, News: News blog, Air America Media blogs and The Hill's Blog Briefing Room
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
Strategic Nonviolence — Jon Chait observes that “For a revolution to succeed, it generally needs one of two things to happen: Either it needs its own weapons, or it needs mass defections by the state security forces.” He also sees some evidence that some elements of the security forces may be contemplating defection.
Sabina Amidi / Jerusalem Post:
‘Hamas helping Iran crush dissent’ — Palestinian Hamas members are helping the Iranian authorities crush street protests in support of reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, two protesters told The Jerusalem Post On Tuesday. — They made their allegations as rioting …
Wall Street Journal:
Iranian Accuses U.S. of ‘Intolerable’ Meddling — Recount Set as Iran Seethes — A picture posted on Twitter's photo-sharing website TwitPic by the user madyar shows supporters of defeated Iranian presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi marching on Krimkhan Bridge during a rally in Tehran on Wednesday.
Juan Cole / Informed Comment:
We don't have Mousavi supporters, it's now all of Iran...
We don't have Mousavi supporters, it's now all of Iran...
Discussion:
Zero Hedge, Jeffrey Goldberg, The Angry Arab News Service/, The Opinionator and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion
Robert Kagan / Washington Post:
Obama's Conundrum: Shunning Iran's Opposition — The turmoil in Iran since last week's election has confused the foreign policy debate here in the United States in interesting ways. Supporters of President Obama, who until very recently had railed against the Bush administration's …
Discussion:
Political Punch, Wall Street Journal, Eunomia, Pajamas Media, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, RealClearWorld, The New Republic, Matthew Yglesias, The Daily Dish, Flopping Aces, The League of Ordinary …, The Corner, Commentary, Taylor Marsh, TPMCafe, democracyarsenal.org, Neptunus Lex and Babalú Blog
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M. Duss / Wonk Room:
Open Letter To Robert Kagan — First, let me just express sympathy for your situation. These last years have been extraordinarily unkind to your grand theories about the transformative potential of American explosives. President Bush's “global war on terror,” the invasion of Iraq …
Jeffrey Young / The Hill:
Dems reel on healthcare — Congressional Democrats and the White House are scrambling to regain their footing after a series of setbacks has stalled political momentum to reform the nation's healthcare system. — Despite having a popular president in the White House and comfortable majorities in Congress …
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Jane Hamsher / Campaign Silo:
Healthcare: Hagan, Bingaman Holding Up Public Plan in HELP Committee
Healthcare: Hagan, Bingaman Holding Up Public Plan in HELP Committee
Discussion:
Congress Matters
Molly K. Hooper / The Hill:
Dem, GOP centrists meet in secret
Dem, GOP centrists meet in secret
Discussion:
Campaign Silo, DownWithTyranny!, Open Left, RedState, Verum Serum, Hullabaloo and The Impolitic
Alec MacGillis / Washington Post:
Out of Washington, Edwards Finds Worries Remain — John Edwards says he has few illusions. He knows the picture many Americans hold of him is not a pretty one. He also knows that even before he was engulfed in tabloid scandal, his electoral appeal had limits.
Byron York / Washington Examiner:
Fired AmeriCorps IG responds: White House charges are false — Fired AmeriCorps inspector general Gerald Walpin strongly denies the White House's claim that he was “confused, disoriented [and] unable to answer questions” at a May 20, 2009 board meeting of the Corporation for National and Community Service …
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Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
ENSIGN, WHOA.... Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't much care what Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) does in his personal life. What he does in his bedroom is his business. — But the larger context of this story matters a great deal. Stupid personal mistakes are easily overlooked; breathtaking hypocrisy isn't.
Discussion:
Lean Left, The Sleuth, Balloon Juice, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Open Congress, Democracy in America and Don Surber
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Ta-Nehisi Coates:
Nathan Bedford Forrest Has Beautiful Eyes — Of the many reckonings that black people of honest political consciousness must endure, the appointment with black slavery is the most agonizing. I don't mean the appointment with the notion of white people as the enslavers of our ancestors …
Discussion:
Lean Left
Sandra Tsing Loh / The Atlantic Online:
Let's Call the Whole Thing Off — SADLY, AND TO my horror, I am divorcing. This was a 20-year partnership. My husband is a good man, though he did travel 20 weeks a year for work. I am a 47-year-old woman whose commitment to monogamy, at the very end, came unglued. This turn of events was a surprise.
Ali Frick / Think Progress:
Bachmann Boasts About Breaking The Law: I'm Refusing To Fill Out The Census — Next year, the 2010 Census will be sent to every American household, as required by the U.S. Constitution. The far right has issued dire warnings of the Census; on a May 29th episode of Bill Bennett's radio show …
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
No Recognition Of Ahmadinejad — This is the first and absolute requirement of all Western governments. The disgusting visuals of Medvedev and Ahmadinejad yesterday must not be repeated. Here an Iranian exile makes a moving and clear plea for our solidarity with the people of Iran:
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Washington Examiner:
Weekly Standard sold to Washington Examiner parent company — Clarity Media Group CEO Ryan McKibben announced today that the company had acquired The Weekly Standard magazine, which he characterized as “one of the most highly respected publications of public policy and political commentary in America.”
Eric Boehlert / Media Matters for America:
I'm pretty sure this is why Juan Williams isn't allowed to associate himself with NPR when he appears on The O'Reilly Factor — If folks didn't see this clip from Monday night, it's a beaut. Not only does the reliable O'Reilly backstop Juan Williams eagerly assure the host that he was right …
CNN:
Pence: US needs to show support for Iranian protesters — WASHINGTON (CNN) — Republican Rep. Mike Pence, criticizing President Obama for not saying more in support of protestors in Iran, said Wednesday that he is taking another step to show solidarity for the dissenting citizens of the country.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard
Max Boot / Wall Street Journal:
General McChrystal's New Way of War — The U.S. has been bringing soldiers home as soon as they get any experience. — Printer — Friendly — Gen. Stanley McChrystal was appointed commander in Afghanistan to shake up a troubled war effort. But one of his first initiatives could wind …
Discussion:
Winds of Change.NET
August Cole / Wall Street Journal:
Lawmakers Make Surprise Move to Keep Lockheed Fighter Alive — A House committee threw a wrench in the Obama administration's plans to end Lockheed Martin Corp.'s F-22 Raptor fighter program, voting instead to add $369 million in extra funding to keep production of the Air Force's most advanced jet alive.
CNN:
Iran's soccer team wears symbolic green bands — TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) — Members of Iran's national soccer team wore green arm and wrist bands Wednesday during their World Cup qualifying match against South Korea. — The team does not normally wear green bands.
Your View / Harry's Place:
Ahmadinejad's Millions of Photoshopped Supporters — With the world press confined to quarters, and only the Islamic Republic's propaganda station, Press TV reporting on what is happening, it is difficult to get a clear picture of whether there is any real support for the regime and Ahmedinejad's candidacy.
Dana Goldstein / American Prospect:
IRAN AND THE VEIL. — Photo from Tehran by Farhad Rajabali, via Flickr — The photos coming out of Tehran demonstrate, movingly and beautifully, that women are on the front lines of the protests taking place there, veils and all. The images reminded me of President Obama's focus …
Kevin Drum / MoJo Blog Posts:
Healthcare CEOs Shoot Themselves in the Foot — Yesterday the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations decided to investigate the practice of recission. This is when you pay your premiums for years to a healthcare insurer, then get sick, and then have your insurance cancelled.
Anne Schroeder Mullins / Anne Schroeder's Blog:
No name-calling — If you want to score a meeting with Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), know this: His scheduler/office manager, Elizabeth Becton, is to be addressed by her full name — not Liz or any other variant. — An executive assistant at McBee Strategic recently learned this the hard way.
Think Progress:
House Republicans: Iranian Bloggers Are Just Like Us, We're Both An ‘Oppressed Minority’ — Trying to take political advantage of the Iranian protests, Rep. David Dreier (R-CA) declared that there was “more freedom” in Iran than in the U.S. Congress, after House ended debate last night:
David Leonhardt / New York Times:
Health Care Rationing Rhetoric Overlooks Reality — Rationing. — More to the point: Rationing! — As in: Wait, are you talking about rationing medical care? Access to medical care is a fundamental right. And rationing sounds like something out of the Soviet Union. Or at least Canada.
Tom Elia / The New Editor:
Maureen Dowd Thinks You're an Idiot — The New York Times' Maureen Dowd has written a piece that seems to indicate that President and Mrs. Obama are responsible for providing the rest of the nation with good examples of how we should eat. — Seriously. — Dowd writes:
New York Post:
‘I CAN HAVE 2 VOTES’ — ESPADA'S DEADLOCK ‘SOLUTION’: GIMME SENATE SUPERPOWERS — ALBANY — Renegade Democratic Sen. Pedro Espada claimed yesterday he and his Republican allies are forging an explosive new plan to give him an unprecedented two votes to break the newly emerged deadlock in the state Senate.