Full results are up on the main Watchers page for last week's nominations. The top Council post, which is required reading for anyone who wants a sense of the early days of the Iran riots, was Wolf Howling's roundup of June 16th:

That last bit about Montazeri weighing in could become critical. Let me explain why. The theocracy imposed on Iran under Khomeini's theory of the velyat-e-faqi violates over a millenia of Shia apolitical tradition. That tradition holds that there should be separation between mosque and state. Moreover, the theocracy is widely viewed as wholly corrupt, with the wealthiest people in Iran today being clerics. All of this is brought into stark relief by the secular democracy next door in Iraq. And lastly, the Supreme Guide, Grand Ayatollah Khameini lacks religious legitimacy. He isn't a real Grand Ayatollah. He was a mid-level cleric appointed to that rank as an honorarium so that he could become Supreme Guide of Iran after Khomeini died.

Chris Hitchens's article on the "crudely stage-managed insult" of a vote count was the runner up non-Council post. Apparently the Iranian Republican Guard, which may have precipitated the crisis with a palace coup and as of today is officially involved in the crackdown - was not persuaded by Obama's open hand. That was probably a surprise to the President, given Bookworm Room's description of the functionally unlimited faith he has in his rhetorical prowess.

The top non-Council post was from Michelle Malkin, unpacking the nepotism and corruption of the Americorps scandal. So at least Obama's domestic rhetoric about transparency isn't also hollow!

References and previously after the jump...