Remember that internal discord over how President Obama is handling Iran? Forget it! Everything is swell! On the record, at least. Here's White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs at the briefing this afternoon:

QUESTION: Robert, on Iran, is there an internal debate in the White House now between those who clearly support what the president is doing in terms of the hands-off approach and those who think that the president needs to have some stronger language? Is that ongoing in the White House?

GIBBS: There's no debate in the White House.

QUESTION: Is there division at all? Is everyone on the same page on this or are there those who think that the president -- internally -- that the president...

GIBBS: Everybody's on the same page. There's no difference of opinion.

And later:

QUESTION: You said there's no difference of opinion. But we've been led to believe this president seeks out different opinions from his advisers. You've got these incredibly knowledgeable people sitting around the room. He can't find a single person who does anything other than nod "yes," Mr. President, "you're absolutely right on this"? How can there not be some difference of opinion on this?

GIBBS: Well, there is a belief by all here that -- that this is a debate, as I've said, I think, everyday for the last five days -- four days, plus my statement, that the American people and this government are not going to pick the next leader of Iran. That's something that the Iranians have to do. We have to ensure that we express our views. As I've said about ensuring that people can demonstrate; have their causes and concerns heard, and that's what people here believe.

QUESTION: Is there nobody who believes you ought be a little more open in supporting the demonstrators? Nobody's expressed that opinion to him?

GIBBS: Everybody's on the same page.

QUESTION: Just absolutely verbatim? Nobody...

GIBBS: We walk around like robots.

John Edwards gives a lengthy interview to the Washington Post today, his first since he admitted last summer that he’d had an affair with a campaign videographer after lying about it for months and months. It’s not that we haven’t seen him around. Your Gaggler thinks Edwards doesn’t deserve much sympathy for cheating on his wife, but it was hard not to cringe when Oprah confronted him about it during her interview in May with Elizabeth Edwards, who recently published a memoir based in part on the whole icky situation.  (In fact, for the record, we’re pretty disgusted with everybody involved in that shoot: Bringing the Edwards kids out to hug Oprah when she pulled up in front of the house in the SUV? Just plain awful.)

But John Edwards can’t seem to let it go. The Post’s story today is about how Edwards is trying to lay low and be humble but he still aches to think of what could have been and how he wishes there was someone (someone like him?) speaking out for the poor people. "What happens now? If you were to ask people during the campaign who's talking most about [poverty], it was me," Edwards tells the Post. "There's a desperate need in the world for a voice of leadership on this issue. . . . The president's got a lot to do, he's got a lot of people to be responsible for, so I'm not critical of him, but there does need to be an aggressive voice beside the president."

Fair enough, but as the Post’s Alec McGillis reports in the story, Edwards has stopped helping a lot of the people he trotted out when he was running for president. That program he set up to pay for the first year of college tuition for students at a high school in North Carolina? Over. Edwards also pledged to help several families in New Orleans whose homes were in foreclosure but that assistance has dried up. Edwards says the problems in New Orleans are so “deep and widespread” that it couldn’t be fixed by an “individual presidential candidate.” Granted, Edwards is doing a lot of volunteering overseas these days. “He jokes about how it's obvious that the American people don't want him to be president,” one volunteer tells the Post.

So why is Edwards talking now? He insists he’s not trying rehab himself ala Eliot Spitzer. "The only relevance of it at all is my ability to help people. That's the only reason it matters. I'm not engaged in, or interested in, being in a PR campaign,” he insists. Yeah, right. But Edwards did own up to the fact that he thinks "every day" about his future, and he notably did not rule out a return to politics. “Sometimes you just keep your head down and work hard and see what happens," he tells the Post.

Washington is a funny place. It wasn’t so long ago that people were learning to ride mountain bikes, in hopes of being one of the chosen few to join George W. Bush on one of his rides here in Washington or at his Texas ranch. Now, ESPN’s Wright Thompson has a pretty great piece on how the powerful in Washington are picking up the game of basketball, all in hopes of shooting hoops with the most famous baller in town, President Obama. There’s Rep. Baron Hill, a former high school basketball star, working on his jump shots. "I stayed away from the game," the five-term Democrat tells ESPN, "and here I am shooting hoops again. And it's because of him. If I ever have an opportunity to play with him, I want to be able to halfway get around that court well enough." And then there’s all the Cabinet secretaries in training, including Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. Lobbyists, members of Congress and reps at trade industry groups are all taking lessons. Even the junior staffers at the White House have their own pickup game. But as Thompson notes, the actual invites to play with Obama are still pretty hard to come by and mostly come through his body guy, former Duke basketball star Reggie Love. Here’s Thompson:

The invites to play with the Baller-in-Chief have been scarce. Mostly friends and staff -- the old Chicago crew. "The only thing that's changed is we're playing at Camp David," cracks (Arne) Duncan, who has known the president for years.The secretary and some staff at Interior got a run, as did some old buddies of Love's. Arizona Cardinals QB Kurt Warner got an invitation, as did at least one member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The mayor of Washington got a run. Everyone else is angling. Love apparently keeps a list of names in case he needs extras. If you don't have Love's extension, there's another, more circuitous road. Play with an Obama confidant -- and play really well.

Fascinating.