Daily Democratic Wire 6-14-2009

George Wenschhof

Tim Russert has proven to be irreplaceable - it has now been one year since the host of NBC "Meet The Press" died suddenly while at the studio preparing for the show. I, like many others felt like we had lost a member of our family. His incredible intense interviews of his guests intermixed with his laughter and his down to earth comments we all related to, made him one of us. While there are many other good political commentators out there today, Tim Russert was one of a kind. We all miss him. Politico.com has a good read here.

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President Barack Obama watches Iran election closely - the White House issued a statement yesterday the President was encouraged with the voter turnout, especially among the young. No further statement on the reported outcome indicating incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad winning with 63% of the vote over challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi. Supporters of Mousavi have been demonstrating in the streets and claiming voter fraud. CNN.com has more here.

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Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to propose new guidelines on the financial market - he is expected to release his proposal to regulate banks and financial institutions to avoid another financial collapse. He will also asking for global cooperation. TheHill.com has more here.

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U.S. District Judge rules former George W. Bush administration lawyer can be sued for drafting torture memos - an interesting development in the "approved" interrogation techniques used on terrorists during the Bush administration. A convicted terrorist was granted the right to sue a former Justice Department official; John Yoo who drafted legal theories supporting various interrogation techniques. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give speech today outlining peace policy toward Palestine - the speech is expected to be delivered at 1:00 PM ET and will describe among other items, Israel's position on Palestinian statehood and Israel settlements in the West Bank. Both of these issues are major in regard to any lasting peace agreement between Israel and Palestine. Reuters.com has more here.

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Former President Bill Clinton still on "The Campaign Trail" for democratic candidates - he stumped extensively for friend Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia governor race to no avail and is also helping other friends. Others include 2010 candidates for reelection such as Ohio Governor Ted Strickland who supported Hillary in her failed presidential bid, North Carolina representative Heath Shuler and NY Senator Kirsten Gilibrand who replaced Hillary in the Senate. Politico.com has more here.

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