He probably doesn’t have many remaining friends on the left, as it is, and I’m guessing he’ll not win them back (or win over new, leftish friends) with gut-check statements like these. Regardless — for what it’s worth, Senator — at least one independent voter continues to appreciate and applaud your call-’em-like-you-see-’em approach. And I say that having voted for the presidential candidate who was not the one you supported during the campaign. *...

For political junkies, Chris Cillizza offers an excellent (and brief, making it all the more excellent) assessment of how Franken went from loser to winner in eight (short?) months. The fourth factor on Cillizza’s list strikes me as the most interesting because it is perhaps the most counterintuitive for a political campaign to orchestrate and a candidate (especially one accustomed to stage lights) to endure: Franken’s problem throughout the race was, well, himself. A comedian, satirist...

California is not the only state with a daunting budget crisis. There’s also our neighbor, Illinois. From a St. Louis P-D blog report on yesterday’s deadline-imminent negotiations, Kevin McDermott offered this slice of life: Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn will address a hastily assembled joint session of the Legislature at 3:30 p.m. today, Illinois House officials just announced minutes ago. Minutes later, officials announced that eight protestors — part of a mass of human-services supporters...

In the July issue of Harper’s, Kevin Baker compares Barack Obama to Herbert Hoover, a “very good man … moving prudently, carefully, reasonably toward disaster.” In other words, while top Republicans and their backers blast the President for being too radical, Baker blasts Obama for not being radical enough. Yesterday, Chris Bowers voiced a similar frustration. While he focused much of his rant on moderate Democrats in Congress, the “Obama administration” did...

The four-letter word in this case would be “coup.” Kathy argues that, in Honduras, that’s exactly what we’re witnessing. But at least one of the day’s commentators argues that not all coups are created equal, and distinguishing between them is perhaps more than an exercise in semantics: … what is happening in Honduras may be an example of a coup that is not only legal, but mandatory. I honestly don’t have an opinion, either way, on this subject; I’m...

Assuming Judge Sotomayor had not been involved in the lower-court decision and thus would not have had to recuse herself from today’s vote, the 5-4 split on the New Haven case would still have been a 5-4 split. Justice David Souter (whom Sotomayor would replace, if confirmed) voted with the other three dissenters: Ginsburg, Breyer, and Stevens. So remind me, why does the right wing have its shorts tied in a knot about Sotomayor? She’s not replacing conservative stalwarts Thomas, Roberts,...

Except for the weather, I’m glad this morning I live in Missouri rather than California.

Jazz already noted Ed Morrissey’s breathless declaration of a “Dukakis moment” for the President. Jazz suggests Ed might be going a bit overboard. I’d say: “More than a bit.” I like Ed. In fact, I respect Ed. He is, in my experience, one of the most reasonable and insightful of today’s rightwing bloggers. But this particular analogy to Dukakis belies Ed’s otherwise levelheaded, usually astute take on the world. In essence, all Obama said was that...

Two of them — House Majority Leader Hoyer and House Education & Labor Committee Chair Miller — certainly use the right rhetoric in proposing “paygo” legislation, the underlying principle of which many people (including me) support. Then again: We know how empthy rhetoric and proposals can be — e.g., the Republican spendthrifts of ’00 to ’06. We know that both rhetoric and proposals often get smashed to bits on the brick wall of political reality —...

From Jim Vandehei’s and Jonathan Martin’s article today on what might fuel or fetter a GOP comeback: In politics, the resurrection of the out party almost always comes from the failure or excesses of the in party. A runner-up “line of the day” from the same article: “The voters are likely to use Republicans as a check” in 2010, said former Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.). “Even if they don’t fully support us, they can give Republicans a protest vote.”...

If you didn’t notice, you’re probably dead. But if you have a pulse and still missed the obvious … ahem: The health care debate is once again radioactive. Jazz, Kathy, Robert, Jerry and Dr. E. are among the TMV contributors who have already jumped into this boiling water — and the jumpers are clearly not limited to our humble pages. I’m not really a jumper; not on this issue; more a toe-in-the-water observer, undecided about the best path forward and woefully unqualified...

Andrew Sullivan’s tireless efforts continue. This and this are perhaps the most chilling of his entries to date. If you’re so inclined, say a prayer for the dissidents tonight. Some of them may no longer be here by the time the sun rises. God speed.

Shame on me for overreacting (misreacting) earlier to the House vote based on one report. Per Andrew Sullivan, the actual wording of the House measure seems to be about where it should be and is largely consistent with Obama’s stance earlier in the week: Expressing support for all Iranian citizens who embrace the values of freedom, human rights, civil liberties, and rule of law, and for other purposes. Resolved, That the House of Representatives — (1) expresses its support for all Iranian...

And now for something that is not (directly) related to what’s going on in Iran. With the exception of a few — Joe Scarborough and Christopher Buckley, David Brooks, Shep Smith, et. al. — I am finding it increasingly difficult to sit down and listen to, read, or take seriously the rhetoric of the modern members of the so-called right wing of American politics and political commentary. For regular readers, this is not a news flash — but it’s bugging me more than usual, because...

If this has already been posted here and I missed it, or if you’ve seen it elsewhere, my apologies for the duplication. But it’s entirely worth watching again. Nico provides important context, at the “12:28 AM ET” mark of his liveblog today. (Incidentally, I think that should be “12:28 PM,” given the time markers on the entries just before and after it.) Note: This version of the video includes English subtitles. I trust they’re accurate.

This meme surfaced in the comments thread of my primary post yesterday. That meme hinges on this news, per the WSJ: The Iranian government … accused the U.S. for the first time of interfering in the postelection dispute. Iran protested to the Swiss ambassador, who represents U.S. affairs in Iran because the two nations have no diplomatic ties. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that President Barack Obama stands by his defense of principles such as the right of people to demonstrate. Those...

Scroll down Nico Pitney’s live blog, until you see this entry: 2:01 AM ET — Aslan: Rafsanjani calls “emergency” meeting of Assembly of Experts. Read it all. Sullivan cautions: Not confirmed and not clear what it could mean. But it strikes me that the regime is now clearly on the defensive.

My dear wife and I agree: In the wake of what’s still going on in Iran, the contrast between Obama’s response and McCain’s is one major reason we’re glad we voted for the former, despite our persistent concerns about his seeming proclivity for taking and spending our money. We’ll gladly give up a few of our hard-earned dollars to have a president who reacts this way … Well, I think first of all, it’s important to understand that although there is amazing...

Per Views from the Occident, via Sullivan, the following point — made near the end of a statement from Grand Ayatullah Husayn (Hossein) ‘Ali Montazeri — is remarkable, given both its source and its alignment with what I’ve always understood to be a core value of our founding fathers: A legitimate state must respect all points of view. If you think that point resonates, consider this series of points a few lines later: I ask the police and army personals not to “sell their...

You’ve heard of “straight shooters” — people who say what they mean, and do what they say? “Twisted shooters” are their obvious opposite, and if there were awards for twisted shooters, I’d open the nominations today with two. One nom for the GOP leaders who decry any attempt to vote against war funding, except when it’s them casting the “nay’s.” (What goes around comes around, boys.) One nom for the members of the Obama administration...

James Joyner voices concern that rapid-fire communication technologies (Twitter, et. al.) may be forcing snap-decisions on issues before those issues can be fairly and fully evaluated. I share some of Joyner’s concern. Compelled to react to the Iranian situation over the weekend and yesterday, I authored what I think (in retrospect) were some remarkably thin, shallow, pedestrian posts. What I did afterward, however, is what I think counts: I went back to those posts; revising, updating,...

From Obama’s AMA speech today in Chicago, via Ben Smith at Politico: There are countries where a single-payer system may be working. But I believe — and I’ve even taken some flak from members of my own party for this belief — that it is important for us to build on our traditions here in the United States. So, when you hear the naysayers claim that I’m trying to bring about government-run health care, know this — they are not telling the truth. The strong words don’t...

Supporters of Iranian president-elect Mir Hossein Mousavi stand at the gate of their university campus during a rally in Tehran on June 15, 2009. By Olivier Laban-Mattei/Getty. H/t + cutline credit: Andrew Sullivan. ————- Dueling interpretations are the inevitable result when outsiders attempt to decipher the indecipherable. Cases in point: this post from Dave Schuler, arguing that Ahmadinejad’s win should not surprise us, and this post from Renard Sexton, arguing...

My first reaction to the situation in Iran was rooted in base gratitude for the fact that I live in a country where the transfer of power is a “reasonable, peaceful” process. One commenter had a different reaction: I was happy when I saw the Iranian chaos. To me it demonstrates the growing liberalism and the increasing level of freedom of expression that is arising in Iran. It’s actually quite inspiring. Increasingly, I agree, especially after reading about developments like this...

Starting around the 2:30 mark in this video, Iranian protestors guide a dazed policeman to safety and care for him. Remarkable. H/t Andrew Sullivan.