memeorandum: Statement from the President on Iran (WhiteHouse.gov Blog)

7:30 PM ET, June 20, 2009

Top Items:

A Supreme Leader Loses His Aura as Iranians Flock to the Streets — TEHRAN — The Iranian police commander, in green uniform, walked up Komak Hospital Alley with arms raised and his small unit at his side. “I swear to God,” he shouted at the protesters facing him, “I have children, I have a wife, I don't want to beat people.

Discussion: The Washington Note, The Daily Dish and Wolf Howling

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

Live-Blogging Day 8 — [Note: words in green are tweets from Iran. Words in black are mine in the US. The tweets should be taken provisionally until confirmed. - Andrew.] — (AFP/Getty.) — 5.01 pm. We're done live-blogging for the day. I'd like to pay a little homage to my two under-bloggers, Chris and Patrick.

Discussion: Revolutionary Road, New York Times, niacINsight, Gawker, The Moderate Voice, The Field on the Narcosphere, Newsbroke, Right Wing Nut House, Winds of Change.NET and #gay

New York Times:

Iranian Police Clash With Protesters — TEHRAN — Police officers used sticks and tear gas to force back thousands of demonstrators under plumes of black smoke in the capital on Saturday, a day after Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said there would be “bloodshed” …

Discussion: Aljazeera, Reuters, Commentary, Riehl World View, Neptunus Lex, The New Ledger, About.com Middle East Issues, At-Largely, Fausta's Blog, RealClearWorld, The Impolitic, Wonkette, Achenblog, Informed Comment, Air America Media blogs, The Mahablog and The Field on the Narcosphere

Mike Madden / Salon:

Mousavi: “I am prepared for martyrdom” — Protests continued in Iran today, despite yesterday's threat by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to crush dissent if it went on. But the regime appears to be making good on its threats. Eyewitnesses reported massive security forces gathered all over Tehran …

Discussion: Enduring America, Guardian and The Reaction

Reuters:
Suicide bomber attacks Khomeini shrine in Iran

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Washington Post and Riehl World View

Weekly Standard:
Resolutely Irresolute — Obama dithers while Tehran burns.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, ATTACKERMAN and The Moderate Voice

BBC:
Iran police clash with protesters

Discussion: MoJo Blog Posts, Stop The ACLU, Townhall.com, NPR Blogs, Blue Crab Boulevard and Wall Street Journal

Reuel Marc Gerecht / Weekly Standard:
The June 12 Revolution — Whatever happens in Tehran …

Discussion: Commentary

Matthew Weaver / News: News blog:
Iran protests: live

Discussion: Reuters, Los Angeles Times, Aljazeera, Guardian, Global Voices Online, Enduring America, Sister Toldjah, France24, Harry's Place, Wake up America, presstv.ir, News Desk and New York Times

Robin Henry / Times of London:
Riot police clash with demonstrators in Iran

Discussion: Newshoggers.com, New York Times, The Moderate Voice and Guardian

WhiteHouse.gov Blog:

Statement from the President on Iran — The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people.

Discussion: Top of the Ticket, FP Passport, Taylor Marsh, Raw Story, Flopping Aces, The Political Carnival, CBS News, The Moderate Voice and The Reaction

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

Chaos in Iran: I'm ready for martyrdom, says Mousavi; Videos: Woman murdered in cold blood; Update: Obama calls on regime to end violence; Update: Obama goes out for ice cream; Rumor: 150 dead? — View the video »

Discussion: Gateway Pundit, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, American Power and Blue Crab Boulevard

Steve Clemons / The Huffington Post:

Biden-Obama Axis Shifts Biden's Way on Iran — It's a good thing when a president and vice president have constructive, creative tension in their relationship and don't see eye to eye on everything. Joe Biden has seen his role in the Obama administration as “adviser-in-chief” …

Michelle Malkin:
Saturday in Iran: Deadly crackdown, Obama finally condemns …

Discussion: Fox News, Commentary and Riehl World View

James P. Pinkerton / Fox News:
Under Pressure, Obama Calls on Iran to End Violence, ‘Unjust’ Actions

Discussion: Gateway Pundit and Pajamas Media

Gateway Pundit:
HEAVY CLASHES IN TEHRAN!...

Discussion: Scared Monkeys, Atlas Shrugs, The Spirit of Man, Emptywheel, Founding Bloggers, The Strata-Sphere and Open Left

CNN:
Police block protest site in Tehran, witness says

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard, msnbc.com, Fox News, The Confluence, QandO, The Washington Note, Daniel W. Drezner, New York Times, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, The Cable and Payvand Iran News

New York Times:

Times Reporter Escapes Taliban After 7 Months — David Rohde, a New York Times reporter who was kidnapped by the Taliban, escaped Friday night and made his way to freedom after more than seven months of captivity in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Discussion: CNN, The Moderate Voice, ATTACKERMAN, The World Newser, TalkLeft, Talking Points Memo, The Atlantic Politics Channel, Washington Monthly, Gawker and Air America Media blogs

Greg Mitchell / The Huffington Post:

Why We Joined the Media Blackout on Kidnapping of NYT Reporter — It was a happy surprise, this morning, just before noon ET, to see the New York Times reveal that one of its top reporters, David Rohde, had escaped from his Taliban kidnappers, after seven months, and was now safe and unharmed.

Discussion: NewsBusters.org and EditorandPublisher.com

Keith B. Richburg / Washington Post:
U.S. Journalist Held Captive by Taliban Safely Escapes

Discussion: At-Largely

Naj / neo-resistance:

My translation of Mousavi's latest statement (persian text posted before) — In the name of God, the kind and the merciful — Indeed god demands you to safe keep what people entrust in you, and to rule them with justice. [this a verse of Koran] — Respectable and intelligent people of Iran,

Discussion: The Washington Independent and Atlas Shrugs

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:
Mousavi's Latest Statement: “I Followed Them”

Discussion: ATTACKERMAN

Tom Maguire / JustOneMinute:

Emotion Trumps Research Every Time — The NY Times editors are so vexed by what they see as the latest blatant injustice from the Roberts Court that they can't be bothered to read the court's opinion or their own coverage of the case (Matt Yglesias keeps them company). Let's cut to the NY Times editors:

Discussion: Piece of Work In Progress, Blue Mass. Group and New York Times

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Obama, the Right and defendants' rights

Discussion: TalkLeft, Comments from Left Field, Lawyers, Guns and Money, The Impolitic, The Moderate Voice and Matthew Yglesias

Wall Street Journal:

Jobs Had Liver Transplant — Apple Chief on Track to Return to Work at End of June; No. 2 May Expand Role — Steve Jobs, who has been on medical leave from Apple Inc. since January to treat an undisclosed medical condition, received a liver transplant in Tennessee about two months ago.

Discussion: Gawker, TechCrunch, BBC, Silicon Alley Insider, Mashable!, EW.com and DailyFinance

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

Tick Tock, Motherf**kers — A reader writes: … From his mouth to Allah's ears. It is too early and things are too confused for me to agree with him right now. But his points are good ones. — (Photo: Iranian police sit on motorcycles as they face protesters during a demonstration in Tehran on June 20, 2009.

Discussion: The Spirit of Man

Pundit Review Radio / BLACKFIVE:

The difference between addressing someone with their title and “Sir or Ma'am” — Apparently, Barbara Boxer, a Senator from California where some of the biggest military bases exist, doesn't understand respect when she hears it. — As a former Army Officer, if one of my soldiers called me …

Discussion: Mudville Gazette, Scared Monkeys, Dr. Melissa Clouthier, Wizbang, Blue Crab Boulevard, Michelle Malkin, theblogprof, Chicago Tribune, Fox News and Right Wing News

Washington Post:

The Devil Is in the Digits — Since the declaration of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's landslide victory in Iran's presidential election, accusations of fraud have swelled. Against expectations from pollsters and pundits alike, Ahmadinejad did surprisingly well in urban areas, including Tehran …

Discussion: unbossed.com, The Moderate Voice and Latest Open Salon Blog

Brad DeLong / Grasping Reality with Both Hands:

Morning Daniel Froomkin News Roundup — Hamilton Nolan: … John Harris of The Politico: … Actually, I don't think that last is true. I think John Harris has considerable insight into what prompted the Post to fire him—how could it possibly be otherwise? I would be interested to learn what his insights are.