Top Items:
Mark Mazzetti / New York Times:
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:
The Huffington Post, Think Progress, TIME: Swampland, The Newshoggers, The Corner, The Strata-Sphere, A Blog For All, The Moderate Voice, The Atlantic Online, Eschaton, Crooks and Liars, Watching Those We Chose, Booman Tribune, Sweetness & Light, The Carpetbagger Report, The New Republic, Mercury Rising, Truthdig, Brave New Films blog, Danger Room, PoliGazette, Taylor Marsh, Connecting.the.Dots, Commentary, Daniel W. Drezner, The Heretik, Corrente, The Agonist, AMERICAblog, The Reaction and Prairie Weather
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Jennifer Parker / Political Radar:
NIE Report: Iran Halted Nuclear Weapons Program Years Ago — ABC News' Martha Raddatz, Jonathan Karl, Luis Martinez and Kirit Radia Report: In a stunning reversal of Bush administration conventional wisdom, a new assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies concludes Iran shelved it's nuclear weapons program over four years ago.
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.
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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:
Des Moines Register, JustOneMinute, Los Angeles Times, The Nation, The Nation, Power Line, Boston Globe, The Caucus, Newsweek, The Carpetbagger Report, Spin Cycle, Wall Street Journal, Sweetness & Light, National Review, MSNBC, AMERICAblog, PoliGazette, Riehl World View, Needlenose, TIME, The New Republic, Donklephant, Blue Crab Boulevard, New Hampshire Union Leader, TPM Election Central and The Swamp
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 …
Frank James / Baltimore Sun:
This Clinton attack on Obama could boomerang
This Clinton attack on Obama could boomerang
Discussion:
Los Angeles Times, theneweditor.com, Reason Magazine, The Anchoress, New York Sun and The Atlantic Online
Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Hillary Will Assail Obama's Character, Laughter Abounds
Hillary Will Assail Obama's Character, Laughter Abounds
Discussion:
The Caucus
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:
The Atlantic Online, The Trail, No More Mister Nice Blog, Political Radar, TPM Election Central and PoliGazette
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Jonathan Martin / The Politico:
Pro-Huckabee negative calls flood Iowa — A newly-formed group claiming to support Mike Huckabee hit the phones of Iowa Republicans tonight with an automated push-poll attacking Huckabee's GOP opponents and praising the former Arkansas governor. — Officials representing the Iowa campaigns …
Discussion:
Telegraph, The Carpetbagger Report, Hot Air, BitsBlog, Buck Naked Politics, Betsy's Page and NY Daily News
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:
Talking Points Memo, Open Left, Taylor Marsh, Political Punch, TIME: Swampland and Bob Cesca's Goddamn …
Andrew Sullivan / The Atlantic Online:
Fabulisms Update — I don't think TNR comes out of the Beauchamp affair looking good. Beauchamp, from a distance, seems like a major douche whose reliability is weak. The anecdotes in question, however, are pretty trivial when compared to things that happen in every war …
Discussion:
The Tank
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Ed Morrissey / Captain's Quarters:
Franken: I Have Iraq Surrounded — The Norm Coleman campaign takes Al Franken seriously, at least seriously enough to do their homework on the former comedian, author, and talk-radio host. If Franken wins the nomination from Michael Cerisi to challenge Coleman in the general election, he will not find Coleman unprepared.
Discussion:
The American Pundit
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Walter Shapiro / Salon:
Hillary Clinton rejoins the fray — After Saturday night's low-key Iowa Brown and Black Presidential Forum, Bill Richardson acknowledged the shadow that hovered over the room. "The debate was somber because of the hostage issue," he said. "It was on the minds of everybody.
RELATED:
Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
FIRST THOUGHTS: ONE MONTH OUT — From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
FIRST THOUGHTS: ONE MONTH OUT — From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro
Discussion:
TownHall Blog
Clinton Pressed / Pew Research Center:
Democratic Primary Preview: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina — Summary of Findings — Democrats enter the presidential primary campaign upbeat about their candidates and united in their views on major issues. Sen. Hillary Clinton is the clear frontrunner in New Hampshire and South Carolina …
HillaryClinton.com:
Sen. Obama Rewrites History, Claims He Hasn't Been Planning White House Run — Today in Iowa, Senator Barack Obama said: "I have not been planning to run for President for however number of years some of the other candidates have been planning for." — Oh really?
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Subprime Debacle Traps Even Very Credit-Worthy — As Housing Boomed, — Industry Pushed Loans — To a Broader Market — One common assumption about the subprime mortgage crisis is that it revolves around borrowers with sketchy credit who couldn't have bought a home without paying punitively high interest rates.
New York Times:
Lashing Justice — Muslims who wonder why non-Muslims are often baffled, angered, even frightened by some governments' interpretation of Islamic law need only look to the cases of two women in Saudi Arabia and Sudan threatened with barbaric lashings. — In Saudi Arabia, a woman who was gang-raped was sentenced to 90 lashes.
Patrick / FishBowlDC:
Imus Is Back! — Highlights in bold. — 6:00 A.M.: Charles McCord opens the program. "The Imus in the Morning program has returned to the air following a hiatus of nearly 8 months." Wild applause from the live audience assembled in Times Square's Town Hall.
Discussion:
New York Times, Shakespeare's Sister, A Blog For All, On Deadline, New York Observer and Sister Toldjah
Cate Doty / New York Times:
A.P. to Reorganize Work and Accent Multimedia — After a decade of watching newspapers and rival wire services shrink, The Associated Press, the 161-year-old news cooperative, is refitting itself to handle the 24-hour news cycle it helped create. — "You have to adjust to the marketplace …
Sabin Willett / Boston Globe:
'I will never leave Guantanamo' — "WE HAVE important news for you!" — Chained to the floor of a cell in Camp Six, Guantanamo, Joseph said nothing. But he had some news for us, too. — The Court of Appeals had decided what record - what pieces of paper - it would examine when it considered his "Detainee Treatment Act" case.