Scandal, celebrity deaths crowd Iran out of news

Hard to believe idiocy of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford winging off to South America to hang with his mistress for a few days, leaving the constituents of his state in the dark as to his whereabouts -- was this the politica equivalent of self-immolation? -- and wall to wall coverage this afternoon of sudden death of singer Michael Jackson at 50 (same day as Farah Fawcett). Meanwhile, in Iran, word that has filtered out in recent days was of brutal crackdown getting worse. Looks like the revolt could be going way of China in '89 instead of eastern Europe. Even if true, however, Iran is no longer the country is was only weeks ago.

Internal friction at MSNBC?

Joe Scarborough cancels appearance on "The Ed Show" after locking horns with Ed Schultz earlier that day on "Morning Joe," as I describe in NewsBusters post earlier tonight ...

Obama gets this one right

It's not often I agree with Obama, but when it comes to Iran, I do. Fastest way for mullahs in Iran to brutally suppress this revolt is if US is seen as taking sides and fomenting upheaval.

Catalyst for change in Iran? It's not Obama

... any more than George H.W. Bush was catalyst for the collapse of communism in Europe. No, much of the credit for both goes to their predecessors -- Reagan and George W. Bush -- though media meme of Obama taking office as basis for upheaval in Iran will surely take hold instead.

Just as Reagan was the pivotal figure in bringing down Iron Curtain, even though it did not occur until after Reagan left office, the younger Bush was pivotal in bringing down Iran Curtain, if that is what we are witnessing. And to carry analogy further, Obama is reacting with much the same caution as George H.W. Bush after the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

Faces of hope in Iran

"Iran on Fire"

So reports foreign correspondent Michael J. Totten, whose incisive blog I discovered tonight ...

Arianna Huffington on demise of newspapers: Don't blame me

... so said HuffPo founder to journalists in NYC after receiving a lifetime achievement award from Syracuse University's Newhouse journalism school ...

A stolen election in Iran?

Came across this amazing footage at Andrew Sullivan's blog tonight, where I found the most comprehensive coverage so far of the disputed presidential election in Iran. Chillingly reminiscent of China 20 years ago.

Obama at Normandy: Self-referential as usual

Can Obama get through a speech without gratuitous references to Dear Leader himself? Here he goes again, this time at Normandy in ceremonies marking the 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. After the obligatory nods to other dignitaries, Obama started his speech with this --

I'm not the first American president to come and mark this anniversary and I likely will not be the last.

How about that, gratuitous self-reference and banal. Then again, they often go together.

Here's how Reagan began his remarks 25 years earlier in the same place --

We're here to mark that day in history when the Allied armies joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty.

Listening to Obama's speeches and their inevitable turns of compass toward Self, I'm reminded of a book review of Hemingway's posthumous novel "The Garden of Eden" in 1986 by one of Hemingway's granddaughters, who made a wager with herself that Papa couldn't go a full page without mentioning an aperitif (she lost the bet, as I recall).

George Tiller, rest in peace

Do I take any pleasure or satisfaction in the shooting death of abortion doctor George Tiller? Not in the least. A horrific crime, in a sacred setting, that can't be justified or excused. I pray for Mr. Tiller and his survivors, and for the soul of the man who killed him. This is not the way to resolve our differences on abortion.

Back to blogging, here

Update, June 8: As for obligating myself to blog here every day -- easier said than done!

I've been blogging at NewsBusters since last October but not spent nearly as much time here as I'd like in recent months. That will change as of today, with daily quota of at least one post a day. Now that I've pledged to do it, I have no choice but to follow suit.