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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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 …
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:
Associated Press, Reuters, The Washington Independent, CNN, The Spirit of Man, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Guardian, Media Decoder, New York Magazine, Commentary, News: News blog, Silicon Alley Insider, Townhall.com, BBC, The Foundry, ATTACKERMAN, The Corner, Air America Media blogs and The Hill's Blog Briefing Room
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 …
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.
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.
Juan Cole / Informed Comment:
We don't have Mousavi supporters, it's now all of Iran... Report on Tuesday's Demonstration for Mousavi in Tehran from an eyewitness. Again, I was sent this by an academic, but will not give the name to avoid any repercussions for the individual. — Today, under slate skies …
Discussion:
Jeffrey Goldberg, Zero Hedge, The Angry Arab News Service/, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Opinionator
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 …
BBC:
Fresh rally takes place in Tehran
Fresh rally takes place in Tehran
Discussion:
Guardian, New York Times, Reuters, Latest Open Salon Blog, NPR Blogs, niacINsight, On Deadline, The Lede and Air America Media blogs
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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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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Lydia Saad / Gallup:
On Healthcare, Americans Trust Physicians Over Politicians
On Healthcare, Americans Trust Physicians Over Politicians
Discussion:
The Plum Line, Think Progress, Ezra Klein, Gawker, BuzzFlash.org, Daily Kos, Liberal Values, Wonk Room and Wonkette
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, The Impolitic, No More Mister Nice Blog and Cold Fury
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, Balloon Juice, The Sleuth, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, 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
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:
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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 …
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.
Arnold Kling / EconLog:
What's Wrong with the Financial Regulation White Paper — I am reading this draft. Also of interest is this interview with President Obama. — Early on, the draft white paper says, … I have to disagree with the last sentence. The Fed has always seen this as its job.
Discussion:
SCSUScholars
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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 …
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 …
Chris Anderson / TED Blog:
Q&A with Clay Shirky on Twitter and Iran — NYU professor Clay Shirky gave a fantastic talk on new media during our TED@State event earlier this month. He revealed how cellphones, the web, Facebook and Twitter had changed the rules of the game, allowing ordinary citizens extraordinary new powers to impact real-world events.
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.
Dave Wedge / Boston Herald:
Barney Frank rips prez's ‘big mistake’ — Fuming over anti-gay wed filing — U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, one of the nation's leading gay rights champions, blasted President Obama yesterday over a controversial anti-gay marriage court filing and is calling on the commander in chief to explain himself.
Dana Goldstein / American Prospect:
NEW FRONT IN ABORTION WARS: THE KANSAS GOVERNOR'S MANSION. — Sam Brownback with a young supporter at the 2007 CPAC conference in D.C. Photo via Flickr user VictoryNH. — On the heels of Dr. George Tiller's May 31 murder outside his Wichita church, the state of Kansas has, once again …
Discussion:
Feministing
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.”