The Reaction in Review (June 26, 2009)

A week's Reactions that deserve a second look:

Friday

By Michael J.W. Stickings: "Craziest Conservative of the Day: Gary Schmitt (for attacking soccer)" -- To quote: ". . . this is just yet another example of the right's deluded view of American exceptionalism: Americans are different. They're winners. To make the case that soccer proves this point is just silly. . . "; Michael makes his own case, point by point.

By Michael J.W. Stickings: "Michael Jackson (1958-2009)" -- This thoughtful and personal piece brings together all the contradiction, admiration, adulation, "embarrassing nostalgia" and downright sadness that was the man-child, Michael Jackson.


Thursday

By (O)CT(O)PUS: "Clownfish of the week: Gov Mark Sanford" -- Our Contributor intersperses song lyrics with his own take of the Sanford saga.

By Carol Gee: "A bit of perspective on Iran" -- A compilation of news items from foreign sources covering the Iranian government's election crisis.

By Hamid M. Khan: "A genuine Islamic revolution" -- One of our Truman Project guest authors provides very significant -- a must read -- set of clarifications of the history, theology and politics of the Iranian people's struggles against their dictatorial "Supreme Jurist," or "Supreme Leader," to us.

By Michael J.W. Stickings: "The humanity and hypocricy of Mark Sanford" -- Michael looks back at the week's coverage of the Sanford saga, with all its unanswered questions, and concludes with a wonderfully written, thoughtful and measured piece that reestablishes perspective on what the criticisms might need to be about.


Wednesday

By Michael J.W. Stickings: "The right side of history: Obama stands up for 'the courage and dignity of the Iranian people' " -- Michael lauds President Obama's press conference comments about the struggle of Iran's people against their repressive government (See also Real Mousavi, Conservative contradictions).

By J. Thomas Duffy: "Governor Gaucho" -- Duffy, as only he can, cleverly frames the Governor Mark Sanford story within a 1927 Douglas Fairbanks movie; includes lots of Duffy's famous Bonus Riffs.

By Carl: "Linkage" -- Carl's made a very interesting connection between a couple of Iranian news items, resulting in an intriguing speculation about what Obama, the poker player, may be doing , if anything, regarding possible covert operations.


Tuesday

By Carl: "Why gun laws must be made harsher" -- Carl takes on "greedy" gun dealers who are selling firearms to people on terrorist watch lists. (See this post's interesting comment thread and the other side of this argument by Capt. Fogg "If . . . McCarthy" below).

By Mustang Bobby: "It's not about us" -- Bobby's made a very thoughtful argument against the demands from the right "that President Obama 'do more' about the turmoil in Iran."


Monday

By Capt. Fogg: "If Joe McCarthy were a Democrat" -- Fogg takes on NJ Senator Lautenberg's introduction of legislation regarding people on terrorist watch lists (whether justified or not, with due process or not) "that would give the U.S. Attorney General 'authority to stop the sale of guns or explosives to terrorists.'

By Anonymous (Guest post): "Who are Iran's security forces? And whose side are they on?" -- The author begins,"The regime's security apparatus is not a unified entity -- and each of its constituent parts has different responsibilities as well as different allegiances." [Michael's intro" The author, a Truman National Security Project fellow, travels regularly to Iran. For the sake of his/her security, his/her name cannot be revealed at this time.]

By Capt. Fogg: "We're so vain, we probably think Iran is about us" -- Fogg concludes, "when it comes to handling touchy and dangerous world affairs, Obama seems almost like a genius compared to the man the Republicans would have had as president, strutting about a stage like an overweight, underpowered Mick Jagger, singing 'bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran.'"

By Michael J.W. Stickings: "The latest from Iran" -- Michael does a very useful roundup of what the leading news sources can report of the Iran election crisis, adding a few of his own reactions; several comments followed. See also Neda video.


Creature Feature: Who gets points? -- Jay Rockefeller, Arlen Specter, Time's Joe Klein on McCain, and The Big Picture's Barry Rithholtz on unemployment.