Huckabee not aware of NIE report on Iran  —  My colleague David Paul Kuhn attended an on-the-record dinner with Mike Huckabee and a group of reporters tonight in Des Moines.  —  The transcript speaks for itself:

Monitoring Agency Praises U.S. Report, but Keeps Wary Eye on Iran  —  The International Atomic Energy Agency on Tuesday publicly embraced the new American intelligence assessment stating that Iran had halted its nuclear weapons effort, but in truth the agency is taking a more cautious approach …

Lawn work at Romney's home still done by illegal immigrants  —  Ricardo Saenz, owner of the company that employed illegal immigrants, worked on Romney's lawn recently.  —  By Maria Cramer and Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff; and Connie Paige, Globe Correspondent

Poll Shows Romney With Wide Lead in New Hampshire  —  Mitt Romney holds a sizeable lead in New Hampshire in a new Washington Post-ABC poll, with 37 percent of likely Republican primary voters, compared to 20 percent for John McCain, 16 percent for Rudy Giuliani and 9 percent for Mike Huckabee.

Documents Expose Huckabee's Role In Serial Rapist's Release  —  Little Rock, Ark — As governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee aggressively pushed for the early release of a convicted rapist despite being warned by numerous women that the convict had sexually assaulted them or their family members, and would likely strike again.

Hastings Quits House Intelligence Panel, Cites Added Responsibilities  —  Democrat Alcee L. Hastings of Florida abruptly resigned from the House Intelligence Committee Tuesday, citing increased activities as chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission and his work on the Rules Committee.

NPR's Democratic Debate: Winners and Losers  —  Seven of the eight Democratic presidential candidates gathered in Des Moines this afternoon for a radio debate sponsored by National Public Radio.  —  The debate focused exclusively on three issues: Iran (and the echoes of Iraq), China and immigration.

Abu Jamal backers say new evidence merits retrial  —  PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Supporters of a Pennsylvania man condemned to death for the 1981 murder of a policeman released photographs on Tuesday that they said prove he deserves a new trial.  —  Mumia Abu Jamal, a former Philadelphia radio journalist …

Sweet Neocons  —  I have been writing for years that the neocons are always wrong about everything and this new NIE basically stating that the Iran threat has been vastly overstated drives that home once more.  It would be funny if it weren't so dangerous.  —  The crux of their argument …

'Green Hanukkia' campaign sparks ire  —  In a campaign that has spread like wildfire across the Internet, a group of Israeli environmentalists is encouraging Jews around the world to light at least one less candle this Hanukka to help the environment.  —  The founders of the Green Hanukkia campaign found …