The official Obama Administration policy is to work with China and Russia to diplomatically isolate Iran. According to this Reuters report from Tehran, it seems to be working, with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lashing out at Russian President Dmitry Medvedev with what sounds like a not-so-veiled threat:
“If I were the Russian
…
Just one day after Iran announced a deal with Turkey and Brazil to export some of its nuclear fuel for enrichment, Secretary of State Clinton said Tuesday the P5+1 had reached a tentative deal for multilateral U.N. sanctions. Our colleague Massimo Calabresi parses:
Unmoved by the latest Iranian offer, the Administration is pressing
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I’m just catching up with some important news out of Iraq: the two exclusively Shi’ite political parties seem destined to form a government, joined by the Kurds, leaving Ayad Allawi’s secular-Sunni coalition–which received the most votes–out in the cold.
This is potentially dangerous in several different ways:
In the final week of the 2004 campaign, President Bush was barnstorming across Florida. During the last of six Sunshine State speeches Karl Rove was joking with a group of reporters about Osama bin Laden’s October surprise and how the videotape had boosted Bush’s poll numbers. Yes, Rove told us, I’ve been keeping bin Laden in my …
An excellent primer lies below from TIME’s London bureau chief, Catherine Mayer, of what to expect from Thursday night’s second ever debate of British prime ministerial candidates. The first debate catapulted Nick Clegg into newfound stardom — he’s even overtaken or tied Prime Minister Gordon Brown in some polls — so it’ll be …
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–If Mitch McConnell raised the curtain on this season of financial reform political theater yesterday, then the White House serves as backdrop for the first act today. Obama is set to meet with Speaker Pelosi, Leader Reid, Senator McConnell, Rep. Boehner and Rep. Hoyer at the White House …
Official White House photo by Pete Souza
—Mega-scoop from Ben Smith: Andy Stern reportedly plans to step down as president of the Service Employees International Union. Stern is a titan of the labor movement and the American left, not to mention an intimate ally to the White House. Marc Ambinder
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–Leaders from 46 countries have descended on Washington for this week’s nuclear summit. Whether anything beyond mere symbolism can be achieved is not yet clear.
–The meeting to watch today? Obama’s sit-down with Chinese President Hu Jintao. He needs to lock up China’s support for U.N. …
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–Bart Stupak is expected to announce his retirement today. The heat generated from an arduous year of health reform debate and his role in forging a compromise on abortion language seems to have taken their toll on the 18-year vet.
–President Obama heads to the Czech Republic on Wednesday night. He’s returning to the site of his April, 2009 speech on nonproliferation to sign a new …
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–Democrats have been careful not to appear gleeful over promising economic news as the jobs market continues to struggle. Cautious optimism ruled the day Sunday even as the White House economic team reacted to a very positive unemployment report.
–Unemployment woes are
–D.C. dysfunction seems to be the theme of the day. Bayh says it’s why he’s retiring. Former Clinton chief of staff and Center for American Progress president John Podesta, citing GOP obstructionism, says the political environment “sucks.” Tea Party angst over big government run amok lands on the front page of the New York Times. A Wall …
–Here’s some trivial President’s Day trivia: The folks at Smart Politics figured out that 20 percent of U.S. presidential elections (that would be 11) have been won by a candidate born under the astrological sign Aquarius. Before anyone gets too excited, it’s worth noting that one of the five presidents contributing to this number is …
