Top Items:
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Ensign Acknowledges Extramarital Affair — UPDATE, 6:55 p.m.: In a press conference moments ago, Ensign admitted the affair but seemed resolved to remain in political life. “Last year I had an affair,” said Ensign. “I violated the vows of my marriage.” Ensign did not name the woman …
Discussion:
Not Tucker Carlson, The Washington Independent, Washington Wire, DownWithTyranny!, FiveThirtyEight, TPMDC, Indecision Forever, Wonkette, Politics and Critical Thinking, The Gun Toting Liberal, Salon, Talking Points Memo, Crooks and Liars, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, JammieWearingFool, The Atlantic Politics Channel, Ben Smith's Blog, On Deadline and Comments from Left Field
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Ncarlile / Think Progress:
FLASHBACK: Ensign Called On Clinton To Resign After Admitting Affair — ‘He Has No Credibility Left’ — The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza reports that Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), a member of GOP leadership and a potential candidate for president in 2012, will hold a press conference later today …
The Politico:
Admission clouds Ensign's future — Sen. John Ensign acknowledged Tuesday that he had an affair with a campaign staffer — an admission that stunned his colleagues, hurt his chances for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination and called into question his future as a leader of the Senate GOP.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Gawker, The Note, Runnin' Scared, Hot Air, Burnt Orange Report and Not Tucker Carlson
Washington Post:
Nevada Sen. John Ensign Acknowledges Extramarital Affair — UPDATE, 5:55 p.m.: Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) has acknowledged an extramarital affair with a campaign staffer in a statement released by his office. “I deeply regret and am very sorry for my actions,” said Ensign.
David M. Herszenhorn / New York Times:
Senator Says He Had Affair With an Aide — WASHINGTON — Senator John Ensign, Republican of Nevada, admitted Tuesday that he had an extramarital affair with a member of his campaign staff. — Mr. Ensign led the Republicans' campaign efforts in 2008 and had recently visited Iowa, apparently contemplating a run for president in 2012.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog
McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Iran's senior ayatollah slams election, confirming split — Mousavi supporters streaming down Vali Asr Street in Tehran Tuesday. — TEHRAN, Iran — Supporters of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his main rival in the disputed presidential election, Mir Hossein Mousavi …
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The New Republic:
Khamenei on the Ropes? — Robert Baer served in the CIA as a field operative from 1976 to 1997. His latest book is The Devil We Know: Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower (Crown Publishers, 2008). — In Iran nothing is ever as it seems, including presidential elections.
Discussion:
The Daily Dish
Scott Butterworth / Washington Post:
Obama Intends to Extend Federal Benefits to Unmarried Partners — President Obama will announce tomorrow that he is extending federal benefits to include unmarried domestic partners of federal workers, including same-sex partners, White House officials said tonight.
Discussion:
Real Clear Politics
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Emma Ruby-Sachs / The Huffington Post:
Obama Offers Gays a Consolation Prize of Extended Benefits
Obama Offers Gays a Consolation Prize of Extended Benefits
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog
Drudge Report:
ABC TURNS PROGRAMMING OVER TO OBAMA; NEWS TO BE ANCHORED FROM INSIDE WHITE HOUSE — On the night of June 24, the media and government become one, when ABC turns its programming over to President Obama and White House officials to push government run health care — a move that has ignited an ethical firestorm!
Discussion:
Riehl World View, The Business & …, Chicago Boyz, Confederate Yankee, Washington Monthly, Wizbang, Crooks and Liars, TVNewser, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Mahablog, Doug Ross, Weekly Standard, Paco Enterprises, Bookworm Room, The Sundries Shack, Politics and Critical Thinking, Brutally Honest, Michelle Malkin, Blue Crab Boulevard, Macsmind, Hot Air, Flopping Aces, Gateway Pundit and The Live Feed
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Amanda Terkel / Think Progress:
Reid Clarifies His Position On DADT: 'We Would Welcome A Legislative …
Reid Clarifies His Position On DADT: 'We Would Welcome A Legislative …
Discussion:
Advocate, BuggBlog, MichiganLiberal, Matthew Yglesias, Firedoglake, Outside The Beltway and DownWithTyranny!
Lindsey Ellerson / Political Punch:
Key Obama Ally Says President Obama Did Not Follow the Law in IG Firing — After being briefed today on President Obama's firing last week of Gerald Walpin, Inspector General of the Corporation for National and Community Service, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said the president did not abide …
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Josh Gerstein / The Politico:
W.H.: Fired IG ‘confused, disoriented’ — President Barack Obama removed a government agency's internal watchdog last week and plans to fire him in part because he was “confused” and “disoriented” at a meeting last month, the White House said in a letter to Congress Tuesday night.
Joe Klein / Swampland:
McCain Unhinged — For two years now, John McCain has been entirely consistent on Iran: every last statement he's made—at least, those that I've seen—has been (a) fabulously uninformed and (b) dangerously bellicose. He's still at it, apparently. There is no question that President Obama's …
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Sue Pleming / Reuters:
U.S. State Department speaks to Twitter over Iran — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department contacted the social networking service Twitter over the weekend to urge it to delay a planned upgrade that could have cut daytime service to Iranians, a U.S. official said on Tuesday.
Discussion:
Mere Rhetoric, Twitter Blog, Telegraph, TechCrunch, Indecision Forever, Weekly Standard, Outside The Beltway, BayNewser, Taylor Marsh and Gawker
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Irving Dejohn / NY Daily News:
‘Fire Dave!’: Crowd lines up to protest Letterman's ‘Late Show’ Palin joke … An apology from David Letterman was good enough for Sarah Palin - but not for protesters who demanded the late night host's dismissal Tuesday at a Broadway demonstration. — “Fire Dave!
Discussion:
Gateway Pundit, Liberal Values, Runnin' Scared, Salon, FOX Forum, Conservatives4Palin.com and No More Mister Nice Blog
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John Aravosis / AMERICAblog News:
BREAKING: HRC official & former top Clinton aide pull out of DNC gay fundraiser; Blade plans to photograph and video gay donors who attend — UPDATE: Show Obama you mean business, donate to AMERICAblog. — It's over, folks. A lot of us have been saying that if Marty Rouse …
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Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Gay figures pull out of Biden fundraiser
Gay figures pull out of Biden fundraiser
Discussion:
AMERICAblog News, Pam's House Blend, Democracy in America, Gawker, #gay, Political Punch, SquareState.net and DavidMixner.com
Sara / Raye Man Kojast? Where Is My Vote?:
Grand Ayatollah Montazeri Issues Statement On Protests Against Poll Result — In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful — The noble and oppressed Iranian nation, — Greetings and salutation. In the recent days, I witnessed the exuberant and devoted endeavour and presence …
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New York Times:
E-Mail Surveillance Renews Concerns in Congress — WASHINGTON — The National Security Agency is facing renewed scrutiny over the extent of its domestic surveillance program, with critics in Congress saying its recent intercepts of the private telephone calls and e-mail messages of Americans …
Perry Bacon Jr / Capitol Briefing:
House Approves $106B Bill to Fund Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan — The House today passed a $106 billion bill funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through September, as House Democrats backed President Obama despite misgivings among the ranks about his strategy in Afghanistan.
Discussion:
Democrats.com
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Mark Halperin / The Page:
HALPERIN'S TAKE: 10 True Things About President Obama His Opponents Are Wrong About — 1. He will not pressure Israel into some deal that will undermine its security. — 2. He will not push for a health care plan without regard for cost savings. — 3. He is not captive to his party's liberal interest groups.
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice
Howard A. Rodman / The Huffington Post:
Pardon Me, Sir, But is My Eye Hurting Your Elbow? … Sorry to say, the world can be divided into two kinds of people—those who apologize, and those who don't. Among the former is David Letterman, a man so sorry he apologized to Sarah Palin twice; and Harry Whittington, above …