Top Items:
New York Times:
As Confrontation Deepens, Iran's Leader to Speak — TEHRAN — As another day of defiance and uncertainty loomed in Iran's capital on Friday, it was increasingly apparent that there was no clear path out of a deepening confrontation that has posed the most serious challenge to the Islamic republic in its 30-year history.
Discussion:
BBC, Telegraph, American Spectator, Weekly Standard, MoJo Blog Posts, Wall Street Journal, The Lede, Wake up America, Hot Air, Maggie's Farm, Democracy in America, The Cable, New York Magazine, Washington Post, democracyarsenal.org, Wonk Room, Outside The Beltway, Jihad Watch, Wolf Howling, The BLT, Michelle Malkin, Neptunus Lex, A Blog For All, Salon, On Deadline, The Washington Independent, ATTACKERMAN and The Daily Dish
RELATED:
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
Obama Misses the Point With Iran Response — Millions of Iranians take to the streets to defy a theocratic dictatorship that, among its other finer qualities, is a self-declared enemy of America and the tolerance and liberties it represents. The demonstrators are fighting on their own …
Paul Wolfowitz / Washington Post:
Obama Needs to Change Stance on Iran — President Obama's first response to the protests in Iran was silence, followed by a cautious, almost neutral stance designed to avoid “meddling” in Iranian affairs. I am reminded of Ronald Reagan's initially neutral response to the crisis following …
Shane M. / New York Times:
A Different Iranian Revolution — WE look over this wall of marching people to see what our friends in the United States are saying about us. We cannot help it — 30 years of struggle against the Enemy has had the curious effect of making us intrigued. To our great dismay …
BBC:
Ayatollah demands end to protests — Iran's supreme leader has issued a stern warning that protests against the country's disputed presidential election results must end. — In his first public remarks after days of protests, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the outcome had to be decided at the ballot box, not on the street.
Discussion:
Associated Press, FiveThirtyEight, QandO, MoJo Blog Posts, PoliBlog, MoJo Blog Posts and Truthdig
The New Republic:
Will the Conservatives Please Attempt An Argument? — President Obama has taken a cautious tone toward the demonstrators in Iran, with his stated reason being that more open support would discredit their cause. This strikes me as a sensible position. The revealed preferences of both sides suggest …
News: News blog:
Iran protests: live
Iran protests: live
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Guardian, The Daily Dish, NPR Blogs, Right Wing Nut House, Taylor Marsh and Harry's Place
Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Khamenei's Threat: “Who would be responsible if something happened?”
Khamenei's Threat: “Who would be responsible if something happened?”
Ella Flaye / Times of London:
Khamenei tells Mousavi to toe the line over election or be cast out
Khamenei tells Mousavi to toe the line over election or be cast out
Discussion:
presstv.ir, Foreign Policy, Guardian, Time, Hot Air, YID With LID, QandO and RealClearWorld
Las Vegas Sun:
Text of Doug Hampton's letter to Fox News — Editor's note: Doug Hampton, the husband of Cynthia Hampton, who had an affair with Sen. John Ensign, explains in a letter to a Fox News Channel anchorwoman, Megyn Kelly, how the senator's affair with his wife has"completely ruined" the couple's lives.
RELATED:
Jeff German / Las Vegas Sun:
Spouse of Ensign's mistress sought help in letter to Fox News — Husband's account of how wife's affair with Ensign ‘ruined our lives and careers’ comes to light — Doug Hampton, husband of Sen. John Ensign's affair partner, Cynthia Hampton, appears in this KLAS-TV video Wednesday.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Taegan Goddard's …, Wonkette, Don Surber, TPMMuckraker and News Hounds
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
FINANCE COMMITTEE PUNTS ON PUBLIC OPTION.... The Senate Finance Committee is moving forward with its health care reform plan. It's not exactly encouraging. … It's the result of negotiations between Baucus, two other Democratic senators on the committee, and four Finance Committee Republicans.
RELATED:
The Politico:
Obama health plan imperiled — President Obama's campaign for health care reform by this fall, once considered highly likely to succeed, suddenly appears in real jeopardy. — Top White House advisers, especially Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, are still privately predicting massive changes to the health care system in 2009.
RELATED:
Alison Leigh Cowan / New York Times:
Pick for Protocol Post Corrects Failure to File Taxes in 2 Years — President Obama's choice as chief of protocol for the State Department, a position that carries the status of an ambassadorship, did not file tax returns for 2005 and 2006, errors she corrected last November.
Elianne Friend / CNN:
Mom fined to tune of $1.9M for 24 illegal songs — (CNN) — A federal jury Thursday found a 32-year-old Minnesota woman guilty of illegally downloading music from the Internet and fined her $80,000 each — a total of $1.9 million — for 24 songs. — Jammie Thomas-Rasset's case …
Discussion:
Comments from Left Field
RELATED:
Sam Youngman / The Hill:
At fundraiser, Obama laughs at critics — As he looks to expand Democratic majorities in Congress, President Obama on Thursday night also used a fundraiser for his congressional allies to target his critics. — The president, speaking at a joint fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee …
Franz Och / The Official Google Blog:
Google translates Persian — Today, we added Persian (Farsi) to Google Translate. This means you can now translate any text from Persian into English and from English into Persian — whether it's a news story, a website, a blog, an email, a tweet or a Facebook message.
RELATED:
Xuan Thai / CNN:
Obama press secretary chronically tardy — WASHINGTON (CNN) — White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs delayed the start of his daily briefing Thursday — which is only remarkable for the fact it's so unremarkable. — The Bush White House briefings were only rarely delayed.
RELATED:
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
DEPT. OF ELECTIONS, CONSEQUENCES.... In light of George W. Bush's …
DEPT. OF ELECTIONS, CONSEQUENCES.... In light of George W. Bush's …
Discussion:
The Hill
CNN:
House expected to vote on Iranian resolution — WASHINGTON (CNN) - The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Friday on a resolution that supports “all Iranians who embrace the values of freedom, human rights, civil liberties and the rule of law.”
RELATED:
David Weigel / The Washington Independent:
Republicans Nudge Democrats Over Iran Resolution
Republicans Nudge Democrats Over Iran Resolution
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Glenn Thrush's Blog, msnbc.com, Think Progress, ATTACKERMAN and Congress Matters
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
The Washington Post fires its best columnist. Why? — (updated below - Update II - Update III - Update IV) — One of the rarest commodities in the establishment media is someone who was a vehement critic of George Bush and who now, applying their principles consistently …
RELATED:
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
The Washington Post, Dan Froomkin and the establishment media
The Washington Post, Dan Froomkin and the establishment media
Discussion:
Campaign Silo
Daily Oklahoman:
Coburn meets court pick; Inhofe skips opportunity — WASHINGTON — Sen. Tom Coburn had a private visit on Thursday with U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor and said they had a “philosophical discussion.” — “General stuff,” Coburn said when asked what the two talked about.
Discussion:
TPMDC
RELATED:
Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Poll: Republican Party Now Less Popular Than Dick Cheney — Lost in the news yesterday about the polls showing eroding support for Obama's policies was a funny detail in the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll: The overall popularity of the Republican Party has now dropped below even the abysmal level of approval enjoyed by Dick Cheney.
RELATED:
Yochi J. Dreazen / Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Fortifies Hawaii to Meet Threat From Korea — WASHINGTON — The U.S. is moving ground-to-air missile defenses to Hawaii as tensions escalate between Washington and Pyongyang over North Korea's recent moves to restart its nuclear-weapon program and resume test-firing long-range missiles.
RELATED:
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
Out of the Shadows — Would the Obama administration's plan for financial reform do what has to be done? Yes and no. — Yes, the plan would plug some big holes in regulation. But as described, it wouldn't end the skewed incentives that made the current crisis inevitable. — Let's start with the good news.
Discussion:
The Confluence, Ezra Klein, Latest Open Salon Blog, The Baseline Scenario and Angry Bear
David Whelan / Forbes:
Obama's Doctor Knocks ObamaCare — Dr. David Scheiner took care of Obama for 22 years. But they don't see eye-to-eye on how to fix the health care system. — David Scheiner, an internist based in the Chicago neighborhood of Hyde Park, has a diverse practice of lower-income adults …
Krissah Thompson / Washington Post:
Senate Unanimously Approves Resolution Apologizing for Slavery — Resolution Specifies That It Cannot Be Used in Reparations Cases — The Senate unanimously passed a resolution yesterday apologizing for slavery, making way for a joint congressional resolution and the latest attempt …
Discussion:
Right Wing News