Western Australia -- from the Daily Telegraph
UP-FRONT BLOG NUGGET!!
I have found that the Guardian has a very good live-blogging website on events in Iran HERE. It includes easily accessible radio commentaries and news from on-the-ground people in Iran. This nicely supplements the coverage provided by Nico Pitney's live-blogging over at Huffinton Post HERE.
A Different Iranian Revolution (a student in Iran) from the New York Times
This piece reflects a VERY interesting perspective.
"In important sectors of the American press a disturbing counternarrative is emerging: That perhaps this election wasn’t a fraud after all. That the United States shouldn’t rush in with complaints of democracy denied, and that perhaps Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the president the Iranian people truly want (and, by extension, deserve). Do not believe it."
Protests Are a Real Threat to Iran's Rulers (David Ignatius) of the Washington Post
"What's happening on the streets of Tehran is a lesson in what makes history: It isn't guns or secret police, in the end, but the willingness of hundreds of thousands of people to risk their lives to protest injustice. That is what overthrew the shah of Iran in 1979, and it is now shaking the mullahs."
The Dead Are Mourned - But the Fight Goes On (Robert Fisk) from the Independent [of London]
""President" Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – and the quotation marks are becoming ever more appropriate in Iran today – is in real trouble. There are now three separate official inquiries into his supposed election victory and the violence which followed, while conservative Iranian MPs fought each other with their fists at a private meeting behind the assembly chamber."
Why Now? from the Guardian [of the UK]
"It may feel as if the discontent among young Iranians has blown up out of nowhere, writes Azadeh Moaveni, but they have been growing steadily more angry for years now."
"Khamenei Has Never Seen A Crisis Like This" from Salon
"This week's protests in Iran are truly unprecedented, says Iran expert Afshin Molavi in the following interview. The demonstrators come from all walks of life and from across the country. Discontent with Tehran's hardline leadership is widespread."
Can He Do It? Does Obama Have the Strength to Resist US and Israeli Interests (James Zogby) from Aljazeera Magazine
"While there is widespread admiration for Barack Obama and appreciation for his spoken word, daring to have confidence in any U.S. President or to believe that peace may be possible requires a “leap of faith.”"
Fragile at the Core (David Brooks) from the New York Times
Very interesting analysis of events in Iran. I've had some similar thoughts -- AND I think he might be more optimistic than I am in this moment.
"Most of the time, foreign relations are kind of boring — negotiations, communiqués, soporific speeches. But then there are moments of radical discontinuity—1789, 1917, 1989—when the very logic of history flips."
For Now, Silence is Still the Best Policy (Editorial) from the Financial Times [of London]
"Whether he likes it or not, Mr Obama may have to do business with Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad. Entangling the US in Iranian politics, moreover, would be unlikely to serve the interests of the regime’s opponents. It might well strengthen its leaders and provide an excuse for greater brutality."
Who Hates Who in Iran: An Insider's Guide from Salon
"Based on what we can discern from afar, we've done our best to piece together rumor, gossip and expertise into something like a coherent picture of Iranian factional politics."
The Kremlin Balanced 'Between Two Chairs': Iran': Iran's and the West's from Gazeta [of Russia in English]
"It is this very acrobatic feat which, evidently, embodies the essence and uniqueness of Russian foreign policy. ... The West, most notably the U.S., is now keen for Russian not to reject its more dubious partners like Iran. On the contrary, thanks to these special connections, it could become the mediator for a dialogue with them."
Who Do Americans Trust on Health Care? from MSNBC
"A couple of points from the poll: Almost three-quarters (73%) of Americans trust doctors to make the right decisions regarding reform. The Obama administration seems to understand this, given the president’s outreach to the American Medical Association. A majority -- 58% -- trust Obama to make those decisions."
Echoes of TV's First Lady from the Washington Post
"Michelle Obama also fills a role that is not of her choosing but that may, in fact, be the most influential: She serves as a symbol of middle-class progress, feminist achievement, affirmative-action success and individual style. And she has done all this on the world stage . . . while being black."
MEDIA NUGGET!! [depending on your point of view]
The Washington Post Fires Its Best Columnist. Why? (Glenn Greenwald) from Salon
For those of you who liked Dan Froomkin at the WashPo, he got canned yesterday. Glenn Greenwald weighs in on the topic. For myself, I LOVED Froomkin's analysis -- last year. This year, I'll have to say that he hasn't caught my attention very often. But then again, his blog was relocated on the WashPo website AND was of late rarely showcased in their opinion section.
Andrew Sullivan of the Atlantic responds to the same topic HERE.
ANOTHER MEDIA NUGGET! [somewhat in the same vein as the first]
Sabato's Program Earmark Dries Up from Politico
As regular visitors know, I really like the analysis that Larry Sabato's Center for Politics provides and have linked to their stories often. It looks like his program is getting the axe.
"With [Rep. Virgil] Goode’s defeat, that funding abruptly dried up. This year, Perriello rejected the center’s application for $1 million, and Sabato’s aides are scrambling to find an alternate source of money."
Regrettable -- but Virgil Goode was a conservative wingnut of the first order, and I'm glad he's gone.
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