memeorandum: Monitoring Agency Praises U.S. Report, but Keeps Wary Eye on Iran (Elaine Sciolino/New York Times)

7:20 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:

Discussion: Comments from Left Field, Truthdig, The Sundries Shack, All Spin Zone, democracyarsenal.org, The Democratic Daily, Townhall.com, The Huffington Post, The Right's Field and Daily Kos

Think Progress:

Hersh: Bush Told Olmert Of NIE Two Days Before President Was Allegedly First Briefed On It — Yesterday, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley told reporters that President Bush was first briefed on the National Intelligence Estimate's conclusions on Wednesday, Nov. 28.

Discussion: Haaretz, Israel Matzav, The Mahatma X Files, News Hounds, Chuck Adkins, The Reaction, Booman Tribune, AMERICAblog, War in Context, Washington Post, Emptywheel, White House and Jules Crittenden

Washington Post:

Intelligence on Iran — THE NEW National Intelligence Estimate on Iran contains some unambiguously good news: that Tehran halted a covert nuclear weapons program in 2003, and that it is responsive to the sort of international pressure applied by the United States and other Western governments.

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Wall Street Journal, Yourish.com, The Sundries Shack, Buck Naked Politics and Commentary

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: Wolf Howling, Foreign Policy Watch, Danger Room, ArmsControlWonk, New York Times, Political Machine and Obsidian Wings

Byron York / The Corner:

NIE? What NIE? — The Politico's David Paul Kuhn was among a group of reporters who had dinner with Mike Huckabee in Iowa tonight. According to a transcript posted by Jonathan Martin, Kuhn asked Huckabee about the new National Intelligence Estimate on Iran, and it was news to Huckabee:

Discussion: Think Progress, Obsidian Wings and DownWithTyranny!

Hotline On Call: Huck: NIE ... Come Again?

Mark Mazzetti / New York Times:
New Data, New Methods, New Conclusion

Discussion: Done With Mirrors

Greg Sargent / Horses Mouth:
Washington Post, Associated Press Let Bush Skate With Phony Claim …

Discussion: Washington Post, Danger Room and democracyarsenal.org

Arthur Silber / Once Upon a Time:
Played for Fools Yet Again: About that Iran "Intelligence" Report

Discussion: Eunomia, Liberty Street, Too Sense and A Tiny Revolution

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: The Corner

Andrew Malcolm / Los Angeles Times:

Breaking News: Watch out Rudy, here comes Huck! — A new national Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg Poll released a minute ago reveals that the Mike Huckabee phenomenon has exploded far beyond Iowa; the former Arkansas governor is now threatening the national lead of longtime Republican frontrunner Rudy Giuliani.

Discussion: The Trail, Associated Press, The Atlantic Online, TPM Election Central and The New Republic

Associated Press:
Huckabee bristles at creationism query

Discussion: Liberal Values, Lean Left and Corrente

A.B. Stoddard / The Hill:
The Religious Double Standard

Discussion: CNN Political Ticker

Boston Globe:

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

Discussion: TIME: Swampland, The Corner, Jonathan Martin's Blogs, michellemalkin.com, ParaPundit, Political Machine, Hot Air, TownHall Blog, CNN Political Ticker, Oliver Willis, Political Radar, Ezra Klein and PoliPundit.com

Boston Globe:
Romney fires company after Globe investigation

Discussion: Buck Naked Politics and Roger Ailes

Hugh Hewitt / Townhall.com:
The Globe's Romney Obsession

Discussion: National Review and Captain's Quarters

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

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.

Discussion: Lonewacko, The Caucus, The Glittering Eye and Daily Kos

New York Times:
For Democrats, a Strained Debate on Immigration

Discussion: Redstate, PoliGazette, The Politico and Whiskey Fire

CNN Political Ticker:
Clinton: Edwards' Iran charge goes 'way too far'

Discussion: Suitably Flip and The Politico

Taegan Goddard's Political Wire:
Democrats Debate on Radio

Discussion: CQ Politics and Salon

Elaine Sciolino / New York Times:

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 …

Discussion: Macsmind and Daniel W. Drezner

Jon Hurdle / Reuters:

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 …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice

Gil Hoffman / Jerusalem Post:

'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 …

Discussion: GINA COBB, Blue Crab Boulevard, Daily Pundit, The Anchoress, Moonbattery, Political Machine and Brutally Honest

Digby / Hullabaloo:

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 …

Discussion: the talking dog, Think Progress, Buck Naked Politics, Middle Earth Journal and The American Street

The Blotter:

Mom: 'Carol Sue Would Be Alive Today' If Not for Huckabee — Brian Ross and Anna Schecter Report: — A Missouri mother says she will do "whatever it takes" to stop former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee from becoming president, because he freed the man who went on to rape and murder her daughter, Carol Sue Shields (pictured).

Discussion: Brilliant at Breakfast, Associated Press, AMERICAblog, TownHall Blog and Hot Air

Nicole Belle / Crooks and Liars:

Dirty Tricksters Caught on Video: CBS Evening News Edition — Guest post by Julia Rosen. Julia is the Online Political Director for the Courage Campaign and an editor at Calitics. — It is not every day that something from a blog post ends up in the CBS Evening News …

Discussion: DBKP and The American Street