6/24: Tough Talk

After spending the past week criticizing Pres. Obama for not denouncing the Iranian regime more forcefully, conservative bloggers were impressed by his statement at yesterday's presser. Ed Morrissey's reaction was typical of righty bloggers: "I've been highly critical about Obama's lack of response on Iran; I think he did very well today. He condemned Iran in unequivocal and harsh terms." On the left side of the blogosphere, Steve Benen praises Obama for "[taking] a firm stand against the actions of the Iranian regime, while avoiding language that the same regime could exploit or use as an excuse for more brutality." Kevin Drum was also impressed by Obama's statement, although he thinks "it's already a tough tightrope to walk, and it's going to get tougher."

What else is happening in the blogosphere?

• Conservative bloggers (Spencer, Malkin, Lopez, Reynolds) are criticizing Obama for "coordinating" a question at yesterday's presser (which was asked by The Huffington Post's Nico Pitney). Liberal bloggers (Huffington, Benen, Wheeler, Sudbay, Cole) are defending Pitney's question.
• Liberal bloggers (Yglesias, Sudbay, Lewison, digby) are buzzing about the revelation that SC Gov. Mark Sanford (R) did not spend the past week hiking on the Appalachian Trail -- as his staff previously claimed -- but actually took a trip to Buenos Aires.
• The bloggers at Firedoglake (Hamsher, Smith) are asking their readers to call their members of Congress and urge them to vote against any health care bill that does not include a strong public option. Meanwhile, liberal bloggers (Yglesias, Benen, Klein) was pleased with Obama's defense of the public option at yesterday's presser.
• Liberal bloggers (Yglesias, Bowers, Drum) are disappointed by the concessions that House Ag. Cmte Chair Collin Peterson (D-MN) extractd from House Energy and Commerce Cmte Chair Henry Waxman (D-CA) in exchange for his support of the climate-change bill. Conservative bloggers (Hinderaker, Manzi) are still strongly opposed to the climate change bill.
• Liberal bloggers (Benen, DougJ, Atrios, BooMan) are blasting Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) for his recent attacks on Obama's approach to Iran.

OBAMA PRESS CONFERENCE: Praise From The Right

Many conservative bloggers liked Obama's strong statement criticizing the Iranian regime, although they think he should have given it earlier:

• NRO's Jim Geraghty: "Since I don't often agree with the president, it's pleasant and refreshing when I do; his remarks on Iran today were largely what I wanted to hear. Probably the most quoted comment from this press conference will be his initial one-word response when asked about his reaction to the video of Neda's murder: 'Heartbreaking.'"
• Hot Air's Morrissey: "I've been highly critical about Obama's lack of response on Iran; I think he did very well today. He condemned Iran in unequivocal and harsh terms. [...] Obama should have rescinded our offer of 'weenie diplomacy,' which belies the tough talk. At least, though, Obama has caught up with most of the rest of the free world."
• NRO's Michael Rubin: "Obama's statement is good -- except for the unnecessary statement affirming the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic. Especially good -- and lacking too often in the Bush administration -- was a quick refutation of the Iranian government's own strawman arguments. If only Obama had been so forceful and highlighted these themes a week ago..."
• Power Line's John Hinderaker: "President Obama began his press conference today with the ringing endorsement of the Iranian protesters that he should have delivered a week ago. It was good."

Other conservative bloggers were less impressed:

• Michelle Malkin: "Obama's press statement this afternoon was rather unemotional and obligatory-sounding."
• Power Line's Paul Mirengoff: "I'm not that impressed with Obama's statement. As I wrote on Saturday, after Obama issued a similar statement: 'What is preventing Obama from supporting not just the protesters' right to assemble and speak, but also their broader aspirations -- the ones that cause them to assemble and about which they are speaking; the ones that can only be fulfilled through regime change?'"

Liberal bloggers liked Obama's statement:

• The Washington Monthly's Benen: "[N]otice that the president continues to carefully walk a fine line. For example, the president condemned the violence and offered an unambiguous defense of those who wish to peaceably assemble and have their voices heard. But also note, he didn't dictate suggested remedies -- John McCain's suggestion that the U.S. should call for new elections hasn't gained traction -- and certainly didn't insert the American government in the middle of the intra-Iranian conflict. Obama, in other words, took a firm stand against the actions of the Iranian regime, while avoiding language that the same regime could exploit or use as an excuse for more brutality."
• Mother Jones' Drum: "So far, for good and sound reasons, Obama has taken a restrained tone toward [the violence in Iran], but if it continues he's obviously going to react ever more strongly and more concretely. And he'll have to do it without either overpromising or actively making things worse for the protesters. It's already a tough tightrope to walk, and it's going to get tougher. So the reason I wasn't fazed by Obama's statement today is because I've been expecting it all along. And unless the opposition has already fizzled, I expect Obama's position to get even more difficult."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Everything's Relative

The Washington Post's Ezra Klein:

"I think health reform is going to go the way of stimulus. The stimulus was a huge and important accomplishment. If you had told liberals in 2007 that they were going to pass an $800 billion dollar spending bill that made good on decades of promises about infrastructure rebuilding and comparative effectiveness research and train construction and broadband internet and green energy, they would have laughed at you.

But by the time the bill actually wound its way through Congress, most liberals were frustrated by the outcome: A few Senate moderates had lopped $100 billion in spending off of the total and done so for no apparent reason. Top economists said that the legislation, though helpful, would not be enough to close the output gap and should thus be larger. The stimulus was a historic legislative accomplishment that nevertheless left liberals frustrated because they made concessions they didn't see any reason to make and ended up with a bill that they knew would not fully solve the problem.

That, I'd bet, is how health reform will close out as well. We will spend a trillion or a bit more covering the un- and underinsured. We will regulate a fairer and more decent insurance market into existence. We will expand Medicaid and build out subsidies to at least 300 percent of poverty and create health insurance exchanges. We will fund all this through sharply progressive taxes. We may even have a public plan. In 2006, it would have been a great deal. But as the legislation winds its way through the Senate, there will be unpleasant compromises, and unconscionable omissions, and the constant knowledge that though this is progress, it is not sufficient, and the people who stand in the way of a better bill are frequently incoherent or disingenuous. And that will be terribly frustrating for supports of the effort. The result will probably be a historic win when compared to the status quo, but I doubt it's going to feel like that for supporters of the initiative."

LEST WE FORGET: Being A Promoter Is A Tough Job

From Overheard in New York:

Promoter, stopping friends: Hey! You guys look like pretty awesome people!
Friend #1: Nah, we're really not.
Friend #2: Yeah, we're actually pretty lame.
Promoter: Well, you at least like kids, right?
Friend #1: No. I fucking hate kids. They're terrible. I punch them all the time.
Promoter: Haha. Well, what about animals?
Friend #1: Nope. I hate them too...especially kittens and puppies. I punch them too. I do the double punch. Kids and puppies at the same time. (starts punching the air violently with both of her fists)
Promoter: Okay then. You guys have a nice day...