Top Items:
Michael Calderone / Michael Calderone's Blog:
Obama calls on HuffPost for Iran question UPDATE — In what appeared to be a coordinated exchange, President Obama called on the Huffington Post's Nico Pitney near the start of his press conference and requested a question directly about Iran. — “Nico, I know you and all across the Internet …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Think Progress, Emptywheel, Latest Open Salon Blog, Washington Monthly, Michelle Malkin, The Opinionator, The Plum Line, Commentary, Guardian, Riehl World View, Taylor Marsh, Say Anything, #gay, Top of the Ticket, The Impolitic, Macsmind, Gawker, The Jawa Report and News: News blog
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Walter Shapiro / Politics Daily:
Pushing the President's Buttons — Barack Obama, as everyone knows, is one of the most disciplined, controlled and unflappable political leaders in modern times. Except when he grows testy. And during Tuesday afternoon's press conference, the president's inability to mask mild annoyance was on full display.
Matthew Cooper / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
Obama's Weird “AA” Crack — It tells you something that neither Afghanistan nor Iraq came up at the president's press conference. The United States is simultaneously prosecuting two wars in the Muslim world and neither merited a question of the president.
Discussion:
Balloon Juice
Tony Campbell / The Moderate Voice:
Anyone Forget Bush v. Gore? — First of all, before I get rebuffed by the right side of my readers, let me clearly explain that I am not supportive of the President's lack of action on the Iranian elections. However, what exactly is Barack Obama supposed to do?
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
KLEIN 1, MCCAIN 0.... John McCain has spent an enormous amount of time lately criticizing President Obama's approach to developments in Iran. On CNN last night, Larry King mentioned to Time's Joe Klein that McCain would be on the program tonight, and asked what Klein would tell the Arizona Republican.
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Joe Klein / Swampland:
About Last Night — I've been receiving a steady stream of favorable emails from Iranian-Americans regarding my appearance on Larry King last night. They're delighted that I made it clear that Iran is different from the other countries in the region—better educated, more sophisticated …
Discussion:
NewsBusters.org, American Footprints, No More Mister Nice Blog, Balloon Juice and Obsidian Wings
Jesse Lee / WhiteHouse.gov Blog:
The President's Opening Remarks on Iran, with Persian Translation — The President discusses Iran during his opening remarks at the Press Conference today at the White House: — Viewing this video requires Adobe Flash Player 8 or higher. Download the free player. — Download mp4 (67.1 MB)
WYFF-TV:
Sources Question Governor's Story — Gov. Mark Sanford Says He Disappeared To Go Hiking — GREENVILLE, S.C. — WYFF News 4 has received exclusive information from sources who say they have information about Gov. Mark Sanford's whereabouts during a mysterious absence over the past several days.
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Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Sanford Returns! — Gov. Mark Sanford is set to return to South Carolina tomorrow. AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain — South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford will return to the state tomorrow after spending the last five days hiking the Appalachian Trail, according to a statement released by his office this morning.
Zachary Roth / TPMMuckraker:
Report: Sanford Seen In Atlanta Airport — That Appalachian Trail story is looking shakier and shakier. — Local news channel WYFF4 reports: … It had previously been reported that the governor's cell phone had been tracked to the Atlanta area. — Sanford's staff put out the word late …
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Tapes Reveal Nixon's View of Abortion — WASHINGTON — On Jan. 23, 1973, when the Supreme Court struck down state criminal abortion laws in Roe v. Wade, President Richard M. Nixon made no public statement. But privately, newly released tapes reveal, he expressed ambivalence.
Discussion:
The Caucus, American Power, The Raw Story, The Fix, Washington Monthly, The Politico, The New Republic, Gawker, Ben Smith's Blog, Matthew Yglesias and Truthdig
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CNN:
Nixon to Bush 41: Find ‘attractive’ women — WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Richard Nixon believed one way to shore up the GOP in 1973 was by recruiting “attractive” women, but not because he was “for women,” according to audio tapes released Tuesday. — In February of 1973 …
Kathryn Cheng / ABC News' Press Room:
David Westin Responds to Members of the Congressional Media Fairness Caucus — Dear Congressman Smith: — Thank you for your letter of today's date concerning our planned coverage tomorrow of health care reform in America. I am pleased that you agree that the subject deserves extensive and careful coverage.
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Christopher Badeaux / The New Ledger:
Through the Looking Glass With Andrew Sullivan — Perhaps the single, common life goal of every intellectual, pseudo-intellectual, and intellectual aspirant, is to be a true Renaissance man — a genius whose force of will and flexible, dominating intellect allows him to master or nearly master …
Laura Rozen / The Cable:
Longtime Clinton confidant Blumenthal to become Clinton advisor — Longtime journalist and former Clinton White House advisor Sidney Blumenthal will become a special advisor without portfolio to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, The Cable has learned. Blumenthal refused to comment.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog
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Mike Allen / The Politico:
What Obama didn't mention — A couple of surprising words were missing from President Barack Obama's 55-minute news conference on Wednesday: “Iraq” — and “Afghanistan.” — Also MIA: “Korea,” “Pakistan,” “soldiers,” “surge” and “war” — as well as the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.
The Corner:
Eliminating Prison Rape — It has been far too long in coming but, yesterday, the Federal Prison Rape Elimination commission released its report on elimination and prevention efforts regarding the biggest social problem nobody wants to talk about: prison rape.
Sharyl Attkisson / CBS News:
Would An Overhaul Hurt Health Care? — Reform Could Prompt Employers To Drop Plans, Choice Of Doctors Could Diminish — (CBS) Today the President again insisted that his health care reform won't force you to switch plans or doctors. — “What I'm saying is the government …
Discussion:
Balkinization
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Washington Post:
President Obama Holds Press Conference — Opens with Discussion on Health-Care, Iranian Elections and Energy Policy — [*] OBAMA: Hello, everybody. Good afternoon, everybody. — Today, I want to start by addressing three issues, and then I'll take your questions.
Discussion:
White House Watch, Emptywheel, Reason, The Fix, Washington Monthly, The Moderate Voice, Top of the Ticket, PostPartisan and Flopping Aces
David Weigel / The Washington Independent:
Cornyn: I'll Support Norm Coleman if He Appeals to the Supreme Court — At a luncheon at the National Republican Senatorial Committee's headquarters near Capitol Hill (organized by the Heritage Foundation), I asked Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) if there was a Republican game plan ready …
Matthew Cooper / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
Why Are Obama's Polls Slipping? — Today's presidential press conference was supposed to be held in the Rose Garden, but it got canceled because of the heat. I suspect this was less a tender concern about the press corps, which would have to be seated long in advance of the president …
Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Haley Huddles with Top GOP Strategists — Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour. AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis — Gov. Haley Barbour dined with a handful of senior Republican strategists Monday night in Washington, a gathering certain to further stoke talk of the Mississippi Republican's interest in a 2012 race.
Financial Times:
Pessimistic executives cash out of shares — Growing pessimism about the prospects for a global economic recovery sent stock and commodity prices tumbling on Monday while new data showed that leading US corporate executives were cashing out of their share holdings at a rapid pace.
Discussion:
Newsweek Blogs
Jeff Stein / SpyTalk:
Mousavi, Celebrated in Iranian Protests, Was the Butcher of Beirut — He may yet turn out to be the avatar of Iranian democracy, but three decades ago Mir-Hossein Mousavi was waging a terrorist war on the United States that included bloody attacks on the U.S. embassy and Marine Corps barracks in Beirut.
Roger Cohen / New York Times:
The End of the Beginning — TEHRAN — Iran's 1979 revolution took a full year to gestate. The uprising of 2009 has now ended its first phase. But the volatility ushered in by the June 12 ballot-box putsch of Iran's New Right is certain to endure over the coming year. The Islamic Republic has been weakened.
Farnaz Fassihi / Wall Street Journal:
Son's Death Has Iranian Family Asking Why — TEHRAN—The family, clad in black, stood at the curb of the road sobbing. A middle-aged mother slapped her cheeks, letting out piercing wails. The father, a frail man who worked as a doorman at a clinic in central Tehran, wept quietly with his head bowed.
Amanda Terkel / Think Progress:
Bolton Slams Obama For Being ‘Timid’ On Iran, Then Admits U.S. Options Limited Because Of Bush's Failures — Yesterday on Fox News, Sean Hannity and former U.N. ambassador John Bolton joined the right-wing chorus hitting President Obama's response to the Iranian election crisis.