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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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?

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 …

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 …

CNN, LA Times, Politico to sponsor debates  —  Amid a likely maelstrom of campaign activity in an increasingly fluid presidential race, Democratic presidential candidates are set to square off in Los Angeles Jan. 31 at a debate sponsored by CNN, the Los Angeles Times and Politico and sanctioned by the California Democratic Party.

Hugo  —  I always find Hugo Chavez to be a somewhat annoying subject because he's neither the Satanic Hitler as reflected universally in our media (and it's really creepy how much he's distorted) nor the Great Savior Of The Left.  He's a left wing populist with an authoritarian streak …

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.

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.