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Afghan Elections, Take 2

CNN: Abdullah to drop out of runoff

CNN is reporting that Abdullah Abdullah will drop out of the Afghan runoff scheduled for Nov. 7. The report is attributed to a single "Western source close to the Afghan leadership" -- Zalmay Khalilzad, maybe? -- and says Abdullah will formally announce his decision this weekend.

Khalilzad is quoted on the record later in the story -- which doesn't necessarily mean he isn't also the unnamed source quoted at the top.

Update: The Times of London advances the story a bit with quotes from several sources who say it is "increasingly unlikely" that Abdullah will take part in the runoff.

Larry King and the king of kings

Apparently Larry King didn't think his ridiculous Ahmadinejad interview was ridiculous enough, so last night he did a one-on-one with... Muammar Qadhafi.

I'm off to commit acts of journalism for a few hours, so I'll try to watch the full interview tonight and blog about it. (Evan could beat me to the punch... but he's watched two full hours of Ahmadinejad interviews in the last 10 days and probably needs a break.)

Fortunately for our mental health, this appears to be Larry's last big-name interview for a while. Tonight he's talking with Rabbi Schmuley Boteach, Michael Jackson's "spiritual adviser."

Ahmadinejad on Larry King Live

Update #2: CNN evidently neglects to post entire interviews online, therefore I'm relying on that old stalwart, YouTube, to bring you a full liveblog of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Larry King interview.

0:00 - King asks Ahmadinejad immediately about Friday's big news: the revelation of Iran's "secret" nuclear facility near Qom.

As he did at the beginning of his Today Show interview with NBC News correspondent Ann Curry, Ahmadinejad opens his first response with words of praise for God and thanks King and his viewers. As I've said before, Ahmadinejad is definitely PR-savvy.

Wolf Blitzer interviews Netanyahu; Netanyahu wins

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set out on a couple media wooing attempts in the wake of a meeting today between himself, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. - an attempt to "narrow the gaps" between their views on how to proceed with peace negotiations.

There's not a lot of news out there about how the talks went; probably there weren't any substantial advances, but hey, at least they shook hands. Netanyahu, meanwhile, seemed to do a skillful public relations job.

B'Tselem: Settlements occupy 42 percent of West Bank

Ben-Eliezer makes "secret trip" to Turkey: Israeli TV

CENTCOM talking sense on Hamas and Hizballah

Al-Akhbar: Our weekly brief

Peace Processing

Talking about direct talks: Netanyahu returns to the White House

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivering a statement in Jerusalem on July 1, 2010. (Photo: AFP)
US president Barack Obama will use a White House meeting with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to push for an extended West Bank settlement freeze. If Netanyahu doesn't offer one - and the domestic politics are quite difficult for him - it's hard to see any possibility of direct talks with the Palestinian Authority later this year.

The Afghan Surge

Obama's southern strategy

Gen. David Petraeus testifying on Capitol Hill. (Photo: Reuters)
The president's decision to nominate Gen. David Petraeus as the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan won't mean a major change in strategy. But there are mounting reasons for pessimism about current policy, particularly the relentless focus on southern Afghanistan. The deployment of tens of thousands of additional troops to Kandahar and Helmand serves few NATO objectives.

Freedom Flotilla Killings

Anticlimax: How much did the flotilla raid really change regional politics?

A demonstration in London against the Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound flotilla. (Photo: AFP)
It has accelerated Israel's isolation from several of its neighbors and allies; it has sharpened divisions within Turkish domestic politics; it has deepened perceptions that the Obama administration as too close to Israel. And it seems to have had a remarkably minor impact on Palestinian domestic politics.