Spencer Ackerman has more on the status of U.S. lobbying efforts by various Iraqi political factions.

Video of former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami apparently shaking a woman’s hand–horrors–is roiling politics there. Khatami claims the video is a fake.

CREW files an ethics complaint against Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) arising from his disorderly conduct conviction.

As Eric Kleefeld explains, if Craig steps down or declines to run again, Republicans are likely to retain the seat. And there are indications that Craig may not run again.

Sacramento’s CBS affiliate saw fit to re-enact, live and on the air, Sen. Larry Craig’s bathroom encounter in the Minneapolis airport. Via USA Today.

Jack Goldsmith, the former head of Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, will testify before Congress after the summer recess about the NSA’s warrantless surveillance program. This could get interesting.

It’s over, it’s… all over. Alberto Gonzales resigned as Attorney General yesterday. As Americans we cheer, but as muckrakers we shed a tear for the man who over the past 6 months taught us new things about how mendacious, incompetent, and ridiculous an attorney general could be. In today’s episode of TPMtv we take one final, fond look back at the Top 10 Moments from the now-resigned Attorney General Alberto Gonzales …

After spending the afternoon on a slew of emails about the Larry Craig bathroom incident–was it a crime? should it have been a crime? do I want people reaching under my bathroom stall?*–let’s wrap this up on a lighter note. Elaine can only be glad that she was not in the Minneapolis airport in this scene (although that only postponed jail for her). Thanks to TPM Reader DM for the link.

*No.

Sen. Larry Craig comes out swinging. In a public appearance in Boise, Craig says he is not and never has been gay, and blames the Idaho Statesman for what he called vicious attacks against him, referring to the long investigation by the paper of rumors that Craig was gay, for his decision to plead guilty. Of course the paper didn’t publish the results of that investigation until today–after news of Craig’s June arrest and August guilty plea broke.

Back in the Impeachment days in 1999, Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) wouldn’t stand for a censure of President Clinton. The People of Idaho, Craig told Meet the Press, would only settle for impeachment of such a “nasty boy.”

Late Update: Greg Sargent noted this quote yesterday over at Election Central.