By Steve Clemons

I enjoyed this ten minute discussion with ThomsonReuters Global Editor-at-Large Chrystia Freeland at this year’s Aspen Ideas Festival, organized each year by The Atlantic and the Aspen Institute.

(photo credit: Steve Clemons, The Washington Note) (This article is appearing simultaneously at TheAtlantic.com) News is breaking that the prosecutor’s case in the rape allegations against former IMF Director and French political kingpin Dominique Strauss-Kahn is collapsing.

(President Obama with Afghanistan President Karzai, Pakistan President Zardari and Vice President Biden during a statement in the Grand Foyer of the White House May 6, 2009.

Tom Donilon, President Obama’s National Security Adviser, once told me that the thing he most needed but rarely had was “time to think.”   Donilon has almost single-handedly recrafted the national security decision making process from one in the George W.

The greatest dog in the world, Oakley the Amazing Weimaraner, turned 9 two days ago — and one of his dads has been too busy working on Afghanistan troop issue discussions behind the scenes to post a celebratory note to him.

This morning I’m sitting in the Coffee Cat in Easton, Maryland. Frederick Douglass was born nine miles from here.

While I am deeply disturbed by former CIA analyst Glenn Carle‘s recent revelations that there was a White House-directed appeal to the CIA to dig up dirt on my friend and blogging comrade Juan Cole, I am not surprised at all by this news. The George W.

This morning, Politico‘s Mike Allen moderated a really interesting encounter with Democratic National Committee Chair and Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

News that Pakistan has detained five of its citizens who allegedly gave information assists to US efforts to track down and kill Osama bin Laden raises fundamental questions about the solvency of Pakistan’s government and course. These five individuals deserve honors, not harassment.

Facebook is going cosmic — and getting more politically postured. Nothing wrong with that. Politico just broke that Facebook had confirmed that former Bil Clinton spokesman and major domo at Glover Park Group Joe Lockhart is becoming VP for Corporate Communications at Facebook. I love Facebook — and am a fan of Lockhart.