memeorandum: Infrastructure to MRAPs — I made this photo last week in northern Iraq. (Irenep/Michael Yon)

11:40 AM ET, December 5, 2007

Top Items:

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:

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:

Joshua Mitnick / Washington Times:

Israel challenges report on nukes — TEL AVIV — Israeli officials yesterday disputed the conclusions of Monday's surprise U.S. assessment of Iran's nuclear program, citing "clear and solid intelligence" that Iran is continuing to develop nuclear weapons to threaten Israel and Europe.

Discussion: New York Times, Hot Air, Cheat Seeking Missiles, RealClearPolitics, Macsmind, Los Angeles Times and PoliGazette

Robert Kagan / Washington Post:

Time to Talk to Iran — Regardless of what one thinks about the National Intelligence Estimate's conclusion that Iran stopped its nuclear weapons program in 2003 — and there is much to question in the report — its practical effects are indisputable. The Bush administration cannot …

Discussion: Opinion Journal, Time, Outside The Beltway, Yourish.com, Ezra Klein, Wolf Howling, New York Times, Hot Air, Horses Mouth, Foreign Policy Watch, The Reaction, Obsidian Wings, Danger Room, ArmsControlWonk and Political Machine

New York Times:

Key Judgments From a National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's Nuclear Activity — Following are key judgments from a November 2007 National Intelligence Estimate, "Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities," as declassified and released Monday by the office of the director of national intelligence.

Discussion: The New Republic

New York Times:
Good and Bad News About Iran

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, American Footprints and The Heretik

Maureen Dowd / New York Times: Seven Days in December?

CNN:
Dems aren't buying Bush's account of Iran report

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, Political Machine, Suitably Flip and The Politico

Paul Krugman:

Nonpartisan AEI — I have a lot of problems with this Kit Seelye piece. It's kind of weird that the usual "both sides may have a point" reporting gave way to a clear declaration that one side is right — precisely on an issue where many, many health experts believe that Obama is wrong …

Discussion: TalkLeft and The Atlantic Online

Laura Meckler / Wall Street Journal:

Which Democrat's Health Plan Really, Truly Covers More People? — While the leading Democratic presidential candidates agree on most policy issues, a sharp dispute has emerged: Who would do more to provide health coverage for the uninsured? — Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama …

Discussion: HillaryClinton.com, The Caucus and MSNBC

Katharine Q. Seelye / New York Times:
Clinton Attack on Obama Overlooks Some Realities

Discussion: TIME and The New Republic

Julie Bosman / New York Times:
Edwards Takes Step Back as Two Others Slug It Out

Discussion: MSNBC and MyDD

Jay Cost / HorseRaceBlog:
On Clinton's Attacks — The consensus seems to be that Hillary's …

Discussion: Don Surber, TIME, Betsy's Page, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Jawa Report, Time and Spin Cycle

Murray Waas / The Huffington Post:

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.

Discussion: CNN Political Ticker, TPMmuckraker, michellemalkin.com, The Blotter, Think Progress, Reason Magazine, The Carpetbagger Report, The American Mind, Lean Left, Shakespeare's Sister, National Review, AMERICAblog, Brilliant at Breakfast, The Agonist, LewRockwell.com Blog, Associated Press and Hot Air

Byron York / Invalid Article on National Review Online:
The Story Mike Huckabee Dreads

Discussion: Political Machine, The Blotter and Redstate

Michael O'Hanlon / USA Today:

A new course on Iraq (for Democrats, that is) — The party that forced a new direction in the war needs to embrace the positive developments rather than remaining stuck in a pre-surge funk. — Rarely in U.S. history has a political party diagnosed a major failure in the country's approach …

Discussion: The Corner and The Heretik

Jules Crittenden:

Bush-Bashing Is Fun — But here's what you missed amid the Iranapalooza excitement. Some of the elusive and much sought-after political progress in Iraq: … Meanwhile, in Baghdad: … Incremental, though significantly more progress than, say, Congress has made lately. On anything.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, New York Times, Dr. Sanity, Gateway Pundit, The Carpetbagger Report and democracyarsenal.org

Jonathan Weisman / Washington Post:
Hill Democrats Explore New Strategy on Iraq

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and The Atlantic Online

Regina Medina / philly.com:

THE PARTY'S OVER — medinar@phillynews.com 215-854-5985 Staff writer Gloria Campisi contributed to this report — JOCELYN SARAH Kirsch had planned to throw a 25th birthday party tonight at an upscale Rittenhouse Square eatery for her live-in love, Edward Kyle Anderton.

Washington Post:

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.

Discussion: Jonathan Martin's Blogs, MSNBC, Boston Globe, Pollster.com, New Hampshire Presidential … and The Corner

CNN:
Romney fires landscapers over illegal immigrants

Discussion: Boston Globe, Comments from Left Field, Townhall.com, ScrappleFace and PoliGazette

Adam Sherwin / Times of London:

BBC 'took terrorist trainers paintballing' — The BBC funded a paintballing trip for men later accused of Islamic terrorism and failed to pass on information about the 21/7 bombers to police, a court was told yesterday. — Mohammed Hamid, who is charged with overseeing a two-year radicalisation programme …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, The Jawa Report, The Corner, USS Neverdock, JammieWearingFool and michellemalkin.com

Robin McDowell / Associated Press:

More than 10,000 jet into Bali for global warming conference — U.N. official rejects notion attendees adding to problem — BALI, Indonesia — Never before have so many people converged to try to save the planet from global warming, with more than 10,000 jetting into this Indonesian resort island …

Discussion: A Blog For All, Maggie's Farm and Outside The Beltway

Mark Murray / MSNBC:

NH NEA to endorse Clinton, Huckabee — From NBC/NJ's Tricia Miller — The 16,000-member New Hampshire affiliate of the National Education Association has chosen to recommend to its members Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary and Mike Huckabee in the Republican primary …

John Bresnahan / The Politico:

Lott says retirement not tied to brother-in-law's indictment — Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), whose sudden retirement announcement caught Senate GOP leaders by surprise last week, strongly denied any link between his decision and the indictment of Mississippi lawyer Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, who is Lott's brother-in-law.