TODAY: Damascus rally notes Russian support; McFaul underscores importance of Iran in U.S.-Russia relations; Yavlinsky interview; blogger power; Day of Wrath protest sees a handful of arrests; Shuvalov usurps Kudrin.

A tens-of-thousands-strong rally in Damascus showed support for President Bashar Assad and ‘was also meant to thank Russia and China’ for their U.N. vetoes.  U.S. National Security Council senior director for Russia, Michael McFaul, says that Iran is one of the most important issues in U.S.-Russia relations, dominating diplomatic talks, and pledged to turn his attention to deepening U.S. engagement with Russian civil society if he is appointed ambassador to Moscow.  In the meantime, he insists that the ‘reset’ program is working, and urged Washington to give ‘unconditional permanent normal trading relations’ to Russian goods.  The Power Vertical interviews Yabloko party founder Grigory Yavlinsky: ‘What does [Putin’s return] mean? It means the preservation of the previous style and the previous agenda. It means the same faces on television. It means everything will remain the same. People can’t take this anymore.’  On the online acts of ‘civic campaigning’ that allow Russian bloggers to function as viable alternative media sources.