From the Natural Resources Defense Fund, this is what "mountain topping" looks like in West Virginia. See the item from the Washington Independent below.
AUDIO NUGGET!!
Are Senior Clerics as Divided as Iran? from NPR's Morning Edition Sunday
A GREAT summary of the religious/political situation in Qom right now.
"Qom is Iran's holiest city and a central point of the electoral crisis in the country. Islamic scholar Reza Aslan, author of How To Win A Cosmic War, discusses what's happening in Qom and with the Ayatollahs, and how the country might move forward."
The Iran Chessboard, as Seen by Team Obama from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Recent administration assessments and conversations with outside government Iran watchers and nonproliferation experts offer a different view -- one in which Obama's hand may actually have been strengthened and Iran's weakened by some overlooked recent events."
Iran Escalates Its Fight with Britain; New Clashes Erupt from the New York Times
"In the past, international pressure was enough to rally the nation behind its leaders and silence critics. But this time, that did not seem to be the case. Instead, the government’s actions, coupled with renewed calls for national unity, added to a growing sense of uncertainty over where Iran was headed as its leaders tried to pull out of a crisis that has undermined its legitimacy and divided the political and clerical elite."
Ahmadinejad Regime Plots Purge After Iran Election Protests from the Times [of London]
NOT a good sign.
"Opponents of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, are bracing themselves for a purge if, as expected, he returns to office following the country’s bitterly disputed presidential election."
Understanding Iran - Repression 101 (David Sanger) from the New York Times
"When the rallying cry on the streets of Tehran turned from “Death to America!” to the stranger-sounding “Death to the Dictator!” there was a great temptation to conclude that the days of the mullahs were numbered. Maybe they are and maybe not."
What Can Obama Do In Iran? from Slate
"Six nonmilitary ways the president can influence Iran."
The Wall Isn't Falling: Historical Parallels Don't Work in Iran (Fareed Zakaria) from Newsweek
"While the regime's legitimacy has cracked—a fatal wound in the long run—for now it will probably be able to use its guns and money to consolidate power. And it has plenty of both. ... President Obama is quite right to tread cautiously, extend his moral support to Iranian protesters, but not get politically involved. The United States has always underestimated the raw power of nationalism across the world."
Pullout Deadline Stirs Anxiety and Pride in Iraq from the Washington Post
Anxiety ... pride ... what about GRATITUDE! Those ingrates!!
"The 30th of June will be like a wedding," said Maj. Gen. Abdel Amir al-Zaidi, commander of the Iraqi army's 11th Division, currently in the northern city of Kirkuk. "It is a victory for all Iraqis, a national holiday."
They didn't welcome us as liberators and, guess what, they're not seeing us off as liberators either. More like, "Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out!"
They Say Obama is Starting to Stumble - The Hell He Is from the [Manchester] Guardian
"On Iran, gay marriage and the economy, the president is taking flak. But critics ignore the profound changes he is delivering."
Israel Reportedly Open to West Bank Settlement Freeze from the Boston Globe
"Israel would be open to a complete freeze of settlement building in the West Bank for three to six months as part of a broad Middle East peace endeavor that included a Palestinian agreement to negotiate an end to the conflict and confidence-building steps by major Arab nations, senior Israeli officials said yesterday."
Now, I wonder what behind-the-scenes arm-twisting and threats Obama had to do to get THIS to happen?
Democrats Increasingly Confident They'll Enact Health-Care Reform from the McClatchy News Service.
"Despite the strains of sky-high costs and public skepticism, the government is moving steadily toward a vast health care overhaul that would at least partly fulfill a six-decade quest for universal coverage and could rein in soaring costs for everyone else."
Well, it's good SOMEONE is confident about this. Eleanor certainly remains skeptical:
Short of the Magic: Democrats Don't Have 60 Voters (Eleanor Clift) from Newsweek
"It's clear to many Democrats that they'll need Republican support to enact President Obama's health-care reform. With Senators Kennedy and Byrd sidelined by illness, Al Franken not yet seated, and two more Democrats on record publicly opposing the public option that the president supports, the majority currently has about 55 votes—short of the magic 60 needed."
Against 'Government-Run' Health Care (Mark Shields) from Creators Syndicate
"Brown, you see, from the first time he ran successfully for the House of Representatives in 1992, has declined to accept the first-class health insurance coverage available to all the members of Congress and generously underwritten by the nation's citizens. His reasoning was and remains very simple: He would not take the congressional health plan until every Ohioan has health care coverage."
The Climate Dividing Lines from the National Journal
"In their razor-thin victory on climate change legislation Friday, House Democrats prevailed by holding just enough votes from members in coal states to offset substantial defections from colleagues in Republican-leaning districts, a National Journal analysis of the vote shows."
The Price of Climate Change (Op-Ed) from the [Manchester] Guardian
"The US climate change bill in Congress won't just save the environment – it will save us money in the long run."
Congress Takes on Mountaintop Mining from the Washington Independent
"America’s oldest mountains are being decimated, and after decades of abetment, Congress is finally watching with more critical eyes."
Mark Sanford's Pain is the President's Gain (Jonathan Alter) from Newsweek
The benefits of integrity and clean living!
"South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is smart, handsome, principled—and no longer a political threat to President Obama in 2012. ... By my count, Sanford is no less than the 10th horndog whose comeuppance has benefited Obama. This happily married president always seems to get a piece of the action."
INTENSE NARCISSISM NUGGET!
Sanford: King David Didn't Resign, So Why Should I? from TalkingPointsMemo
"When all this came out -- thanks to an intrepid reporter from the Bethlehem-based State, who was tipped to emails exchanged between David and Bathsheba, then staked out David at the Jerusalem airport -- David refused to resign as king of Judea. His presidential hopes also took a hit."
HISTORY NUGGET!
Nixon: Holding Forth on Clout and How to Use it from the New York Times
"While much of the attention to the newly disclosed material focused on Mr. Nixon’s expressing his prejudices and discussing the cease-fire in Vietnam, other conversations offer a glimpse of his thinking about presidential decision making and the exercise of power."
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