memeorandum: WELL, THAT'S CONVENIENT: "A new assessment by American intelligence … (Glenn Reynolds/Instapundit.com)

7:40 PM ET, December 3, 2007

Top Items:

U.S. Says Iran Ended Atomic Arms Work — A new assessment by American intelligence agencies concludes that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that the program remains on hold, contradicting an assessment two years ago that Tehran was working inexorably toward building a bomb.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Horses Mouth, Washington Monthly, JustOneMinute, The Corner, TIME: Swampland, TPMmuckraker, Commentary, Weekly Standard, The Huffington Post, The Newshoggers, A Blog For All, Flopping Aces, Eschaton, The Belmont Club, Cheat Seeking Missiles, Right Voices, The Carpetbagger Report, Guardian, The Atlantic Online, The Heretik, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, The New Republic, All Spin Zone, Think Progress, Daniel W. Drezner, Interesting Times, Chuck Adkins, QandO, Atlantic Free Press, The Glittering Eye, Neptunus Lex, The Moderate Voice, PoliGazette, Watching Those We Chose, Sweetness & Light, Stop The ACLU, Booman Tribune, War in Context, Corrente, Donklephant, Outside The Beltway, The Agonist, Taylor Marsh, At-Largely, American Footprints, Connecting.the.Dots, Truthdig, The Democratic Daily and Mercury Rising

Kevin Drum / Washington Monthly:

WHY WAS THE NIE RELEASED?....A couple of random thoughts on the newly released NIE concluding that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003: — This NIE was apparently finished a year ago, and its basic parameters were almost certainly common knowledge in the White House well before that.

Discussion: TIME: Swampland

Victor Davis Hanson / The Corner:

Revisionism and The Iranian Non-Bomb — The latest news from Iran about the supposed abandonment in 2003 of the effort to produce a Bomb — if even remotely accurate — presents somewhat of a dilemma for liberal Democrats. — Are they now to suggest that Republicans have been warmongering …

Discussion: The Newshoggers, The New Republic and The Atlantic Online

Glenn Reynolds / Instapundit.com:

WELL, THAT'S CONVENIENT: "A new assessment by American intelligence agencies concludes that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that the program remains on hold, contradicting an assessment two years ago that Tehran was working inexorably toward building a bomb."

Discussion: The Corner, The Atlantic Online, Riehl World View, Clayton Cramer's BLOG, Balloon Juice and Truthdig

Jennifer Parker / Political Radar:

NIE Report: Iran Halted Nuclear Weapons Program Years Ago — ABC News' Martha Raddatz, Jonathan Karl, Luis Martinez, Kirit Radia and Jennifer Duck Report: In a stunning reversal of Bush administration conventional wisdom, a new assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies concludes Iran shelved …

Discussion: ArmsControlWonk, Macsmind and Comments from Left Field

The Atlantic Online:
2003 — I think it's important to put the revelations …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Carpetbagger Report and Ezra Klein

Think Progress:
Hadley: Bush Learned Of NIE's Findings 'In The Last Few Months …

Discussion: Seeing the Forest

New York Times:
White House Reaction to Iran Report

Discussion: AMERICAN FUTURE, Danger Room and Salon

AJStrata / The Strata-Sphere:
Iran Halted Nuclear Weapons Production in 2003? How Convenient!

Discussion: Hot Air, Right Wing Nut House, Little Green Footballs and No Runny Eggs

John Amato / Crooks and Liars: Flashback: Bush Warns of World War III: They Knew Iran had stopped all along!

Amanda / Think Progress: Despite Knowledge That Iran Halted Nuke Program, White House Continued …

Amanda / Think Progress:
NIE: Iran 'Halted' Nuclear Weapons Program In 2003, Unlikely …

Discussion: The Huffington Post, democracyarsenal.org and New York Sun

Spencer Ackerman / TPMmuckraker:
Congress (Probably) Didn't Compel Release of Iran Intel Report

Discussion: Middle Earth Journal

CNN:
U.S.: Iran stopped nuclear weapons work

Discussion: The Huffington Post, The Raw Story and Atlantic Free Press

Robert Reich / Robert Reich's Blog:

Why is HRC stooping So Low? — I'm becoming increasingly concerned about the stridency and inaccuracy of charges in Iowa — especially coming from my old friend. While I'm as hard-boiled as they come about what's said in campaigns, I just don't think Dems should stoop to this.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, The Caucus, Talking Points Memo, The Carpetbagger Report, Neptunus Lex, THE LIBERAL JOURNAL, Taylor Marsh and Open Left

Ron Christie / The Hill:

Beginning of the End of the Clinton Campaign (Ron Christie) — To be honest, I never thought in the first few days of December I would proffer that the Hillary Campaign for President is near the end. To wit, her national poll numbers have been plummeting since she seemed unable to answer …

Discussion: The Swamp, Boston Globe, CNN Political Ticker, American Power, Comments from Left Field, Outside The Beltway and Chuck Adkins

Anne E. Kornblut / Washington Post:

Losing Ground In Iowa, Clinton Assails Obama — With a new poll showing her losing ground in the Iowa caucus race, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) mounted a new, more aggressive attack against Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Sunday, raising direct questions about his character …

Discussion: The New Republic, Boston Globe, AlterNet.org, Liberal Values, Sister Toldjah, Des Moines Register, The Nation, The Nation, Chuck Adkins, Sweetness & Light, The Caucus, The Carpetbagger Report, Los Angeles Times, Spin Cycle, The Anchoress and Needlenose

Frank James / Baltimore Sun:
This Clinton attack on Obama could boomerang

Discussion: Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, The Newshoggers, The Democratic Daily and New York Sun

Clinton Pressed / Pew Research Center:
Democratic Primary Preview: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina

Discussion: RealClearPolitics, The Page, Pollster.com, Los Angeles Times, Open Left, Democratic Strategist, MoJoBlog and MSNBC

HillaryClinton.com:
Sen. Obama Rewrites History, Claims He Hasn't Been Planning White House Run

Discussion: michellemalkin.com, theneweditor.com, Power Line, Washington Monthly, Suitably Flip, PoliGazette, Lean Left, MoJoBlog, Weekly Standard, The American Pundit and Don Surber

Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Hillary Will Assail Obama's Character, Laughter Abounds

Discussion: The Anchoress, JustOneMinute and Reason Magazine

Martin Kady II / The Politico:

Reid pushes back on Iraq optimism — Democrats are increasingly bailing on their previously held view that the troop surge in Iraq has been a "failure," but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid isn't ready to jump on the bandwagon with other Democrats who say the surge has worked.

Discussion: Hot Air, Weekly Standard, Redstate, Free Frank Warner and QandO

Klaus Marre / The Hill:
Reid hints at another Iraq vote this year

Discussion: Gateway Pundit

USA Today:

USA TODAY/Gallup Poll: Significant drops in support for Clinton & Giuliani — "National support for Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican Rudy Giuliani significantly eroded over the past month," USA TODAY Washington bureau chief Susan Page writes. — Meanwhile, Republican Mike …

Discussion: The Politico and Blue Crab Boulevard

Peter Beinart / Washington Post:

A Non-Story Remakes the Race — Last month, Katharine Q. Seelye of the New York Times live-blogged the Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas. As the discussion bounced from subject to subject, she marked the topic and the time, then gave her thoughts.

Discussion: Weekly Standard, democracyarsenal.org, RealClearPolitics and Say Anything

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:

Pro-Huckabee group revealed — Mike Huckabee's campaign is being aided by an independent group run by a former top aide at the NRSC and funded in part by a group of retired Procter & Gamble executives in Ohio. — "Trust Huckabee," whose website went live last week, was responsible …

Discussion: Political Machine, Hot Air, Stop The ACLU, The Atlantic Online, Wake up America and Telegraph

Klaus Marre / The Hill:

Bush blasts Senate over pro forma sessions — President Bush Monday welcomed back Congress by criticizing Democrats for their priorities and blasting the Senate for using a procedural maneuver to prevent him from making recess appointments. — "In a political maneuver designed to block …

Discussion: CNN Political Ticker and The Newshoggers

Antonio Olivo / Chicago Tribune:

Citizenship in sight, but then she voted — Immigrant says registering, then casting ballot were innocent errors, not reason for deportation — BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Beth Keathley was so close to becoming a permanent U.S. resident that she could already feel its benefits showering over her …