Quick News Hits

Following up on topics from previous posts:

Even as the Iranian regime has "certified" the disputed election result and succeeded in quieting street protests to an extent, Muhammad Sahimi reports on the widening split among powerful conservative clerics behind the scenes in Tehran Bureau (h/t Andrew Sullivan).

As the Iranian government crisis enters its 19th day, fissures among the clerics are gradually becoming deeper and more visible. These differences between hard-liners and leftists go back to 1988, but what has been surprising is the reaction of moderate clerics and the silence of clerical hard-liners. The importance of the emerging fissures in the ranks of the clerics is not that the leftist clerics are supporting Mir Hossein Mousavi in his confrontation with the hard-liners, but that the fissures are developing even among the ranks of the conservative ayatollahs and influential clerics who were usually supportive of Ayatollah Khamenei — or at least silent in order to present a seemingly united front against the leftist faction, as well as the reformist and democratic groups.

The clerics in Qom and Mashhad recognize that there is much more at stake than a disputed election. They see an existential threat to the entire Islamic Republic as they mull their decision whether to support the official result, protest it or continue to remain silent.

Sullivan: I believe in my gut that this revolution has just started.

In Iraq, US forces pulled out of cities to nearby bases on schedule on June 30 as called for in the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the Maliki regime and the Bush Administration despite an uptick of insurgent attacks in the preceeding few weeks. Former Vice President Dick Cheney marked the occasion with typically misleading scare-mongering.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney, who has recently become a leading critic of the Obama administration's national security policies, applauded Odierno's work in Iraq, but said he was concerned about the withdrawal, even though it was during his time as vice president that the two countries signed the Status of Forces Agreement.

"What he (Odierno) says concerns me: That there is still a continuing problem. One might speculate that insurgents are waiting as soon as they get an opportunity to launch more attacks," Cheney said in an interview with The Washington Times' "America's Morning News" radio show. "I hope the Iraqis can deal with it. At some point they have to stand on their own, but I would not want to see the U.S. waste all the tremendous sacrifice that has gotten us to this point."

Cheney also neglected to acknowledge that Odierno expressed confidence in the ability of Iraqi troops to maintain order.

As South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford continues to talk publicly about his extra-marital affair (keeping the scandal in the news) his staff must be looking for a muzzle while GOP figures continue to call for his resignation. Congresswoman Michelle Bachman (R-MN) was awarded two coveted "Pants on Fire" ratings by Politifact.com for her claims about ACORN and the coming census.

--Ballard Burgher