Harold Koh confirmed to State Department legal post.
Harold Koh confirmed to State Department legal post.
After months of GOP stalling tactics and conservative fearmongering, Yale Law School Dean Harold Koh was confirmed by the Senate today to be the State Department’s top legal adviser. He passed by a vote of 62-35, with five Republicans voting to confirm — Sens. Olympia Snowe (ME), Susan Collins (ME), Richard Lugar (IN), Mel Martinez (FL), and George Voinovich (OH). Yesterday, Senate Democrats successfully avoided a filibuster by a 65-31. Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Judd Gregg (R-NH), and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) all voted for cloture but did not vote for Koh’s confirmation. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) skipped the cloture vote but voted against Koh’s confirmation today.
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Bachmann’s Latest Irrational Fear About The Census: It Was Used To Intern The Japanese
Bachmann’s Latest Irrational Fear About The Census: It Was Used To Intern The Japanese
Last week, Rep. Michele “I’m not a kook” Bachmann (R-MN) boasted about breaking the law in refusing to complete the 2010 Census. The Census is the perfect boogeyman for Bachmann in that it unites her conspiracy theories about the Obama administration with her monomaniacal determination to crush the community organizing group ACORN, which is one of over 30,000 partner organizations helping to promote the 2010 Census among the people it reaches.
On Fox News this morning, Bachmann repeated her determination to break the law. She also suggested that the Obama administration could use the Census data for nefarious purposes — including the imprisonment of Americans in concentration camps:
BACHMANN: If we look at American history, between 1942 and 1947, the data that was collected by the census bureau was handed over to the FBI and other organizations, at the request of President Roosevelt, and that’s how the Japanese were rounded up and put into the internment camps. I’m not saying that’s what the Administration is planning to do. But I am saying that private, personal information that was given to the census bureau in the 1940s was used against Americans to round them up.
Watch it:
There are many things wrong with Bachmann and host Megyn Kelly’s so-called analysis: First, both women were shocked that the Census would ask for people’s telephone numbers. However, that information is not required by law, and is used only to contact recipients who have incomplete forms.
Second, Bachmann is confusing the 2010 Census and the American Community Survey (ACS), a long-form survey sent out to one in 40 households (0.0028 percent of the American public) each year. The Census, sent out once every ten years, asks only about one’s age, race, and the type of home one lives in. The ACS, started in 1996, collects more detailed data used to distribute more than $300 billion in federal funds to local communities.
Most importantly, the questions that Bachmann is so concerned about — questions she suggests might somehow lead to internment — are not new questions (not to mention they frequently overlap with information given to the IRS every year). Census questions on race have been asked since 1790; home language since 1890; rent since 1880; and income since 1940. The Census has asked what kind of heating fuel heats Americans’ homes since 1940.
Finally, it’s a federal crime for any Census worker to violate the confidentiality of the Census form, punishable by a federal prison sentence of up to five years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.
Rep. Akin disses McCain: ‘I don’t know that McCain is that influential’ in the GOP.
Rep. Akin disses McCain: ‘I don’t know that McCain is that influential’ in the GOP.
Ever since Iran’s disputed presidential elections this month, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has been a ubiquitous presence on TV, slamming President Obama’s response to the crisis and trying to pump up his own profile. This morning on C-Span’s Washington Journal, a caller asked Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) why anyone should listen to McCain. Akin suggested that the GOP has already tuned him out:
CALLER: Why is [McCain] considered a leader? … Why is his point of view so important, and why should Obama listen to him? [...]
AKIN: I don’t know that McCain is that influential within the Republican Party per se.
Watch it:
Yesterday, a reporter asked President Obama whether McCain’s criticisms of his handling of the Iran situation had “influenced” him at all. “What do you think?” Obama replied:
I think John McCain has genuine passion about many of these international issues, and I think that all of us share a belief that we want justice to prevail. But only I’m the President of the United States, and I’ve got responsibilities in making certain that we are continually advancing our national security interests and that we are not used as a tool to be exploited by other countries.
OMB advises veto of defense authorization if it contains F-22 funding.
OMB advises veto of defense authorization if it contains F-22 funding.
Last week, the House Armed Services Committee reinstated funding for the F-22, over the objections of the Pentagon and the White House, by eliminating funding for nuclear waste cleanup. (Rep. Barney Frank [D-MA] has introduced an amendment eliminating the money for the F-22.) Today, the Office of Management and Budget issued a Statement of Administrative Policy recommending a veto if the bill contains the F-22 funding:
F-22 Advance Procurement: The Administration strongly objects to the provisions in the bill authorizing $369 million in advanced procurement funds for F-22s in FY 2011. The collective judgment of the Service Chiefs and Secretaries of the military departments suggests that a final program of record of 187 F-22s is sufficient to meet operational requirements. If the final bill presented to the President contains this provision, the President’s senior advisors would recommend a veto.
This afternoon on MSNBC, VoteVets Chairman Jon Soltz debated Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA), who proclaimed, “We absolutely need 381 of these planes, and not 187.” Soltz called the claim “ridiculous,” and argued that military funds should be spent on troops on the ground:
It’s about how we spend our money. The Congressman cares about the Lockheed Martin stock price, and I care about the men and women who fight on the ground. And this weapon system does nothing for us.
Watch it:
TP Editor Faiz Shakir discusses Sanford on MSNBC.
TP Editor Faiz Shakir discusses Sanford on MSNBC.
Soon after Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC) admitted that he had lied to his staff and flown to Argentina for a rendezvous with his mistress, ThinkProgress Editor-in-Chief Faiz Shakir discussed Sanford’s political fortunes on MSNBC. Faiz pointed out that Sanford’s affair is hardly his worst sin:
I don’t want him to resign because of the affair. I think he should get kicked out of office because he’s been a terrible governor for the state. Their unemployment rate is at its highest rate ever. He’s bankrupted the state. He’s been fighting the Obama administration over unemployment money that his constituents desperately need. So I think on the merits, he’s been a horrible governor.
Faiz also reminded hosts David Shuster and Tamron Hall of Sanford’s own characterization of lying as “the biggest harm…to the democratic system.” Watch it:
After the segment, Hall said Faiz “made a great point” about Sanford’s past statements. “When people can use your own words, and you’ve criticized people in that same position, that bites I think more than anything any other critic or analyst can say about you,” Hall said.
Why Did Sanford’s Staff Lie About His Trip To South America?
Why Did Sanford’s Staff Lie About His Trip To South America?
When Gov. Mark Sanford’s (R-SC) five-day absence was noticed by the national media Monday, Sanford’s staff sought to quell concerns by telling reporters he was hiking the Appalachian Trail:
Then, at 10:01 p.m. Monday, [Communications Director Joel] Sawyer e-mailed reporters an update: “The governor is hiking along the Appalachian Trail. I apologize for taking so long to send this update, and was waiting to see if a more definitive idea of what part of the Trail he was on before we did so.”
Sawyer said Sanford was hiking “to kind of clear his head after the legislative session.” He added emphatically, “[Sanford's] an avid outdoorsman.”
On Tuesday morning, Sawyer said that Sanford had “called to check in with his chief of staff.” Yet he stuck with his claim that Sanford was hiking.
It turns out, however, that Sawyer was lying. This morning, reporters from The State caught up with Sanford at Atlanta’s Hartsville-Jackson International Airport, where he had just returned from a seven day trip to Beunos Aires, Argentina — nowhere near the Appalachian Trial. Sanford refused to say what he had been doing in South America, and offered no explanation for why his staff lied:
Sanford, in an exclusive interview with The State Media Company, said he decided at the last minute to go to the South American country to recharge after a difficult legislative session in which he battled with lawmakers over how to spend federal stimulus money.
Sanford said he had considered hiking on the Appalachian Trail, an activity he said he has enjoyed since he was a high school student. “But I said ‘no’ I wanted to do something exotic,” Sanford said “… It’s a great city.” [...]
Sanford said he was alone on the trip. He declined to give any additional details about what he did other than to say he drove along the coastline. … When asked why his staff said he was on the Appalachian Trail, Sanford replied, “I don’t know.”
Last night, South Carolina’s Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer (R) explained that during Sanford’s week-long vacation out of the country, Sanford never transferred executive authority, and that Sanford’s staff refused to tell Bauer where the governor was. “If another emergency were at hand right now, we don’t have a way to contact our governor, and so that concerns me,” he said.
News 4 called the governor's office, and was told again by staffers that they stand by their original statement that the governor is hiking the Appalachian Trail. They did not want to comment on this story.
I apologize to my staff. I misled them about my whereabouts, and as a result the people of South Carolina believed something that wasn’t true. I want to make absolutely clear that over the past two days at no time did anyone on my staff intentionally relay false information to other state officials or the public at large. What they’ve said over the past two days they believed to be true, and I’m sorry to them for putting them in this position.
DeMint refuses to vouch for Sanford’s character: ‘Who knows?’
DeMint refuses to vouch for Sanford’s character: ‘Who knows?’
This afternoon, Fox News’ Glenn Beck suggested that Gov. Mark Sanford’s (R-SC) apparent disappearance is simply a media ploy to “discredit” the governor, and that his wife and others knew his whereabouts. (They did not.) When Beck asked Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) whether he could “vouch for [Sanford's] character,” DeMint refused:
BECK: Can you vouch for his character, that he is what he seems to be?
DEMINT: He always has been up front with me, but, you know, who knows? I don’t know if we can vouch for each other’s character, but he is a good friend of mine and obviously I hope he is okay.
Watch it:
This morning, Sanford’s office declared that the governor was “hiking” on the Appalachian Trail, and would be back in the office tomorrow. However, NBC’s Greenville, SC affiliate is reporting that “a federal agent spotted Sanford in the [Atlanta] airport boarding a plane,” and that a missing state vehicle — presumably the car Sanford took — was found at the Atlanta airport as well.
Barney Frank: GOP Thinks $2 Billion F-22 Project Is Funded By Monopoly Money
Barney Frank: GOP Thinks $2 Billion F-22 Project Is Funded By Monopoly Money
Last week, over the objections of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the Obama administration, the House Armed Services Committee restored funding for the basically useless F-22 fighter jet, in the process stripping funding for nuclear waste cleanup efforts. Last night, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) filed an amendment to restore the waste cleanup funds and eliminate the money for the F-22. The move came after months of Republicans issuing dire warnings about the consequences of suspending the F-22 program: Frank Gaffney, for example, declared it would lead to “diminished military capability, emboldening enemies, and alienating our friends.”
On a press call hosted by the Center for American Progress Action Fund this afternoon, Frank pointed out Republicans’ hypocrisy in railing against the deficit while simultaneously funding a $2 billion air force jet that has never once flown a mission in Afghanistan or Iraq. Frank said so-called deficit hawks act as though the Pentagon is funded with “Monopoly money”:
I am of course struck that so many of my colleagues who are so worried about the deficit apparently think the Pentagon is funded with Monopoly money that somehow doesn’t count.
Frank also dismissed concerns that eliminating the F-22 will cost jobs:
These arguments will come from the very people who denied that the economic recovery plan created any jobs. We have a very odd economic philosophy in Washington: It’s called weaponized Keynesianism. It is the view that the government does not create jobs when it funds the building of bridges or important research or retrains workers, but when it builds airplanes that are never going to be used in combat, that is of course economic salvation.
Listen to it:
Indeed, conservatives declare that canceling the F-22 would result in thousands of lost jobs. However, as Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Lawrence Korb pointed out on the call, the administration has also ramped up production of the F-35, which is produced at many of the same facilities — and by the same workers — as the F-22.
Frank called the F-22 fight an important “test” for the Obama administration’s efforts to cut wasteful military spending. “If we cannot hold the line on this, then it’s very bad news for trying to hold down any kind of excesses in military spending,” he said.
Protesting soccer players banned for life.
Protesting soccer players banned for life.
Last Wednesday, six members of Iran’s football team wore green writstbands in apparent support of the anti-Ahmadinejad protesters. Now Iranian authorities “have taken revenge by imposing life bans” on four of those players, the Guardian reports:
Most of the players obeyed instructions to remove the armwear at half-time, but Mahdavikia wore his green captain’s armband for the entire match. The four are also said to have been banned from giving media interviews.
The fate of the other two players who wore the wristbands is unknown. None of the team members were given back their passports upon returning to Tehran after the match, which ended in a 1-1 draw – a result that ended Iran’s hopes of qualifying for next year’s tournament.
(HT: Andrew Sullivan)
Reid tells Harold Koh supporters he will bring Koh’s nomination up for a vote within two weeks.
Reid tells Harold Koh supporters he will bring Koh’s nomination up for a vote within two weeks.
Though President Obama nominated Yale Law School Dean Harold Koh to be chief legal adviser to the State Department in March, the nomination has languished in the senate; at least one senator has placed an anonymous hold on Koh. Now, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has told Koh’s supporters that he will bring Koh’s nomination for a vote sometime in the next two weeks, according to an e-mail sent yesterday to members of the “We Support Harold Hongju Koh” Facebook group:
Last night, after yesterday’s phone bank, we got word from inside sources that Senator Reid believes Harold has enough votes, and has decided to file for cloture on the nomination sometime in the next two weeks. While we do not have an exact date yet, it’s an indication that all of your calling is working!
ThinkProgress spoke to a source with knowledge of the situation who confirmed the timeline. Earlier this week, Obama said he had no plans to appoint Koh or other nominees currently blocked by Senate Republicans under recess appointments.
Steele Calls Obama A ‘Liar,’ Then Apologizes, Then Denies He Apologized
Steele Calls Obama A ‘Liar,’ Then Apologizes, Then Denies He Apologized
Yesterday morning, RNC Chairman Michael Steele hosted Bill Bennett’s radio show, where he fearmongered about a non-existent “health police” and advised that President Obama simply “do the deal” to fix health care. He also called the president a “liar” for pledging to fix health care without deepening the national debt:
OBAMA [audiotape]: I’ve made a firm commitment that health care reform will not add to the federal budget deficit over the next decade.
STEELE: [shouting] LIAR! Sorry, I had to get that off my chest. We need to stand up and say this. Come on!
During the commercial break, Steele seemed to realize calling the president a “liar” was bad form. About five minutes later, he backed off his statements, seemingly apologizing for going “a little strong” against Obama:
STEEEL: I get hotheaded from time to time, so I just want to let folks know that in the last segment, I went a little strong in my response to the president’s comment, and I don’t want to go there. Because that’s not what this is about. … For all those folks out there who want to go start blogging, uh, just calm it down, you know. RNC chairman’s not trying to be crazy first thing in the morning.
Steele avoided name-calling for the next hour. But when a caller scolded him for “apologizing” to the president, Steele insisted he had never apologized, and declared that he was “not backing off”:
CALLER: Well I’ve been listening to you, and earlier you called the president a liar, and I said, Yeah, he’s finally got there! He’s finally decided to tell them how it is! And then you apologized —
STEELE: No I didn’t apologize! … Look, I’ve got to be mindful of my, quote, position and so forth. I always took great offense to the fact that the Democrats disparaged President Bush. They disrespected the man, and they disrespected the office that the man held. And I’ve said from the beginning of my chairmanship that we did not want to do that. … I’m not backing off of the fact that I think there’s a lot of misdirection, and there’s not a whole lot of honesty that’s being laid out there for the American people.
Listen to a compilation:
So is Steele apologizing for calling Obama a liar? Or is he “not backing off” his name-calling — name-calling that, he said, “disrespected” the president and “the office that the man held”?
Justice Dept. will meet next week with gay rights groups on DOMA.
Justice Dept. will meet next week with gay rights groups on DOMA.
This morning, Greg Sargent reported that the Justice Department had refused to meet with gay rights legal groups to discuss how to move forward on cases involving the Defense of Marriage Act. Now DOJ spokeswoman Tracy Russo confirms to Sargent that the Department has reached out to these groups and will meet with them next week:
The Obama Justice Department has reached out to major gay rights organizations and scheduled a private meeting for next week with the groups, in an apparent effort to smooth over tensions in the wake of the controversy over the administration’s defense in court of the Defense of Marriage Act. [...]
At the meeting — which hasn’t been announced and is expected to include leading gay rights groups like GLAD and Lambda Legal — both sides are expected to hash out how to proceed with pending DOMA cases.
The White House also admitted today that it was “seeking ways to include same-sex marriages, unions and partnerships in 2010 Census data.”
Steele’s health plan: ‘Do the deal. It’s not that complicated.’ ‘Hello?! Am I missing something here?’
Steele’s health plan: ‘Do the deal. It’s not that complicated.’ ‘Hello?! Am I missing something here?’
While hosting Bill Bennett’s radio show this morning, RNC Chairman Michael Steele fearmongered about a government-run “health police” that would force Americans to get their annual physicals. The way to solve the health care crisis, Steele said in another portion of the show, is “not that complicated”: All we have to do is “figure out who” doesn’t have access to health care, “and give them access!”
STEELE: So if it’s a cost problem, it’s easy: Get the people in a room who have the most and the most direct impact on cost, and do the deal. Do the deal. It’s not that complicated.
If it’s an access question, people don’t have access to health care, then figure out who they are, and give them access! Hello?! Am I missing something here? If my friend Trevor has access to health care, and I don’t, why do I need to overhaul the entire system so I can get access he already has? why don’t you just focus on me and get me access?
Listen to it:
Who knew that, despite the years of delay and debate, all the president has to do is “do the deal” and “give [everyone] access!” Steele’s right — it’s not complicated! Steele should be supporting a public plan, which is the best path to ensuring increased access to health care for all.
Iranian soccer players reportedly suspended for wearing green wristbands.
Iranian soccer players reportedly suspended for wearing green wristbands.
The Huffington Post’s Nico Pitney, who has been liveblogging the Iranian protests all week, reports that an Iranian blogger alleges that the football players who wore green wristbands earlier this week in support of the protests have been suspended. The National Iranian American Council’s blog translates a tweet from Iranian Twitter user “Iranbaan,” a source they trust, who wrote, “The soccer players who were wearing green wristbands in the Iran-South Korea game have been suspended.”
Steele fearmongers on health care reform, warns of ‘health police’ who will enforce yearly physicals.
Steele fearmongers on health care reform, warns of ‘health police’ who will enforce yearly physicals.
This morning, RNC Chairman Michael Steele hosted Bill Bennett’s radio show. When a caller, who identified himself as a doctor, asked how President Obama would “mandate” preventive care, Steele declared that the government would impose a “national ID system” that would contain every American’s health information “on a grid.” He warned that this system — completely fabricated by Steele — would result in the “health police” enforcing everyone’s yearly check-up:
STEELE: Well you’ll get issued, Doc, you’re gonna issue, to your patients, a health care card that’s gonna be part of a national ID system that, you know, every time I charge something or use that card, it’s going to show up on a grid what I’ve done and what I have failed to do, according to the government plan. So the government will know whether or not I’ve had my physical at the appropriate time and then probably some health police will come knocking on my door telling me I’m now costing the system money because I haven’t, you know, gone and done my preventive care.
Listen to it:
Needless to say, no one is proposing the creation of a “health police.” Steele’s fearmongering is his latest effort to block meaningful health care reform from passing this year.
Major Media Headlines Pretend That Latest Polls Show Obama’s Policies Are Unpopular
Major Media Headlines Pretend That Latest Polls Show Obama’s Policies Are Unpopular
Today, two new national polls were released, one by the New York Times and CBS, the other by the Wall Street Journal and NBC. News headlines quickly settled on a theme: The polls showed that President Obama’s policies were suddenly unpopular:
“Sticker Shock — Obama still popular; his policies, not so much” [ABC's The Note]
“Polls find rising concern with Obama on key issues” [Reuters]
“Polls Show Declining Support For Obama Decisions” [U.S. News & World Report's Political Bulletin]
“Obama’s popularity: Problems testing it” [Chicago Tribune's The Swamp]
“Is ‘Smooth Sailing’ Over for Obama?” [Washington Post]
The headlines have little to no relation to the actual data in the polls, both of which found broad approval for Obama’s foreign policy and economic agendas. From the New York Times/CBS poll:
5. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the economy? 57% approve, 35% disapprove
8. Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the threat of terrorism? 57% approve, 27% disapprove
16. So far, do you think Barack Obama’s policies have made the economy better, made the economy worse or haven’t his policies had any effect on the economy yet? 32% say better, 15% say worse
And from the Wall Street Journal/NBC poll:
4b. Do you generally approve or disapprove of the job that Barack Obama is doing in handling the economy? 51% approve, 38% disapprove
4c. Do you generally approve or disapprove of the job that Barack Obama is doing in handling foreign policy? 54% approve , 36% disapprove
9. Which ONE of the following statements best describes your feelings toward Barack Obama?
Like personally and approve most policies…………… 48%
Like personally but disapprove of many policies ……27%12. And how confident are you that Barack Obama has the right set of goals and policies to improve the economy––extremely confident, quite confident, only somewhat confident, or not at all confident?
Extremely confident………………………. 20%
Quite confident …………………………. 26%
Only somewhat confident ………………….. 24%
Not at all confident …………………….. 29%
Similarly, 68 percent agree with Obama’s view that Guantanamo detainees should be charged with a crime or released back to their home countries, as opposed to only 24 percent who think they should be detained indefinitely. As Glenn Greenwald notes, “The view that detainees should be charged with crimes or released is often depicted as the fringe ‘Far Left’ view. Like so many views that are similarly depicted, it is — in reality — the overwhelming consensus view among Americans.”
Perhaps the most bizarre headline came from USA Today’s blog, The VAL: “Poll: Obama down, cousin Cheney up.” The poll cited showed that 60 percent of Americans have a favorable view of Obama. By contrast, only 27 percent viewed Cheney favorably — while 30 percent viewed him “very negatively.”
Attorney General Holder reminds Sessions who’s boss.
Attorney General Holder reminds Sessions who’s boss.
This morning, Attorney General Eric Holder testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-AL) slammed the Justice Department’s release of Bush-era memos authorizing the use of torture on terrorist suspects, telling Holder that his “predecessor, Judge Mukasey, and Mr. Hayden,” the former Director of National Intelligence, “didn’t approve of that at all.” Holder reminded Sessions that Mukasey and Hayden were no longer in charge:
SESSIONS: Well it was disapproved by your predecessor, Judge Mukasey, and Mr. Hayden, the CIA, um, DIA [sic] director. They didn’t approve of that at all. … You were willing to release matters that the DNI and the Attorney General believe were damaging to our national security.
HOLDER: Well, one attorney general thought that. I am the Attorney General of the United States, and it is this attorney general’s view that the release of that information was appropriate, as well as the president of the United States. I respect their opinion, but I had to make the decision, holding the office that I now hold.
Watch it:
Bachmann Boasts About Breaking The Law: I’m Refusing To Fill Out The Census
Bachmann Boasts About Breaking The Law: I’m Refusing To Fill Out The Census
Next year, the 2010 Census will be sent to every American household, as required by the U.S. Constitution. The far right has issued dire warnings of the Census; on a May 29th episode of Bill Bennett’s radio show, RNC Chairman Michael Steele intoned, “Certainly the collection of this information is going to be part of an ongoing political campaign by this administration.”
In an interview with the Washington Time’s right-wing radio show this morning, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) declared that she would break the law and refuse to answer the Census questions, beyond noting the number of people in her household:
BACHMANN: The mother lode of all data information will be from the Census. … Unfortunately, the Census data has become very intricate, very personal, a lot of the questions that are asked. I know for my family, the only question we will be answering is how many people are in our home. We won’t be answering any information beyond that, because the Constitution doesn’t require any information beyond that.
Listen to it:
Bachmann explained that her fears over the Census were in large part due to the fact that her Number-One Enemy, ACORN, could possibly be involved. (The group might help recruit some of the 1.4 million people needed to go door-to-door to count every American.) She insinuated that former senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) had lost his reelection bid because of “fraudulent votes” perpetrated by ACORN:
BACHMANN: This is what ACORN will do. They will get multiple fraudulent voter registration forms, stuff the registrar’s office with them, in hopes that maybe not all fraudulent registrations will find people at the polls voting. But there may be some people who get through. And sometimes you don’t often need many in order to sway an election one way or another. I come from Minnesota. We’re still in a recount with our U.S. Senate race between Sen. Norm Coleman and the challenger Al Franken. Sen. Coleman won the race on election day, but that was challenged repeatedly, over and over, with what we feel may be fraudulent vote [sic], and we’re very concerned about what comes forward.
At the end of the interview, Bachmann declares it to be a “badge of honor” to be a “target” of the press.
Iranian soccer players wear green for live televised game.
Iranian soccer players wear green for live televised game.
The stars of Iran’s soccer team wore green wristbands in support of the anti-government protesters, during a game broadcast live on Iranian state TV yesterday. “State television, which has been broadcasting Mr Ahmadi-Nejad’s competing rallies, has steered clear of images of Mr Moussavi’s protests,” the Financial Times notes. “But given the popularity of football in Iran, keeping the match off the air would not have been an option.” Twitter user mehdi115 posted this photo:
After half-time, only one player kept his green wristband on. Iranian bloggers speculated that “Ali Abadi, chairman of the Iranian Football Federation (FFI), who is close to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had telephoned Seoul during half time and instructed the players to remove the green wristbands immediately.”
The Wonk Room’s Matt Duss discusses the Iranian protests on MSNBC.
The Wonk Room’s Matt Duss discusses the Iranian protests on MSNBC.
This afternoon, the Wonk Room’s Matt Duss appeared on MSNBC to discuss the ongoing Iranian protests over last week’s disputed presidential elections. He praised President Obama for taking the U.S. “out of this equation” and thus refusing to give the hardliners in Iran an “excuse” to crack down further on the protesters:
DUSS: I think the lesson to be learned is the United States’ ability to intervene and change these outcomes is rather limited. As Americans, we like to believe that our ability to move, to promote democracy and to move events in the world at our will is a lot bigger than it actually is. … Right now President Obama’s treatment of the demonstrations going on in Iran is pretty near perfect. He has taken the United States to the extent possible out of this equation, he, the United States, and our role in the Middle East is not — he’s not going to give that to the hard liners as an excuse for an even greater crackdown.
Watch it:
Transcript: More »
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