memeorandum: Experts: No evidence of Iranian nuclear weapons program (Jonathan S. Landay/McClatchy Washington …)

9:25 AM ET, November 5, 2007

Top Items:

Pakistan denies rumours Musharraf under house arrest - UPDATE — ISLAMABAD (Thomson Financial) - Pakistan's government on Monday denied rumours sweeping the country that the deputy army chief had placed military ruler President Pervez Musharraf under house arrest. — 'This is not true.

Discussion: Asia Times, The Moderate Voice, Publius Pundit, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, BitsBlog and Crooks and Liars

Shahan Mufti / Christian Science Monitor:

EMERGENCY RULE IN PAKISTAN: MUSHARRAF'S LAST GRAB FOR POWER? — Citing terrorism and an 'activist' judiciary, the president says martial law will prevent the country from committing 'suicide.' … In a dramatic move that made explicit his desperation to preserve near-absolute power …

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, National Review Online and The Moderate Voice

New York Times:

U.S. Is Likely to Continue Aid to Pakistan — The Bush administration signaled Sunday that it would probably keep billions of dollars flowing to Pakistan's military, despite the detention of human rights advocates and leaders of the political opposition by Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the country's president.

Discussion: PoliBlog (TM), CNN, Rising Hegemon, Informed Comment, rubber hose, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, Guardian, The Huffington Post, Don Surber, Truthdig, Empire Burlesque and The RBC

Ben Feller / Associated Press:

Bush's faith in Musharraf tested — WASHINGTON - President Bush says he gains influence with world leaders by building personal relations with them. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf got a dose of that diplomacy at the White House last fall, when Bush hailed him as a friend and a voice of moderation.

Jane Perlez / New York Times:

Musharraf Consolidates His Control With Arrests — The government of Gen. Pervez Musharraf, making no concessions a day after seizing emergency powers, rounded up leading opposition figures and said Sunday that parliamentary elections could be delayed for as long as a year.

Discussion: Hot Air, CNN, The Moderate Voice, FP Passport, The Huffington Post, At-Largely, The Reaction, American Footprints, All Spin Zone, Oliver Willis, Informed Comment, PoliBlog (TM), abu muqawama and Harry's Place

Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:
As Crisis Deepens, White House Endures Diminished Power to Influence Events

Discussion: Redstate, The Body Politik, The American Street, Obsidian Wings and Truthdig

Peter Baker / Washington Post:

An Unlikely Partnership Left Behind — It felt familiar, as if the past five years had not happened — the Republican president and the Democratic senator together again, plotting ways to reshape the nation's education system. As they sat in the Oval Office that day back in January …

Discussion: Democratic Strategist

Frank James / The Swamp:

Swamp Gas, November 5, 2007 — A quick guided tour of some of the morning's most important, most interesting, or both, Washington-related stories. — Pakistani strongman, President Pervez Musharraf, continued to tighten his grip on power by arresting his political opponents and delaying elections …

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Post and theGarance.com

Washington Post:
Republican Nomination Most Open in Decades

Discussion: CNN Political Ticker, New York Times, Political Machine, The Carpetbagger Report, Daily Kos, The Right's Field, Don Surber, The Van Der Galiën Gazette, The Heretik, Washington Monthly, The Corner and A Second Hand Conjecture

John McCormick / The Swamp:

Newsweek's Obama interview: Challenging Clinton — Another week, another interview with Sen. Barack Obama, who discusses a variety of topics — ranging from driver's licenses for illegal immigrants to the Clinton White House to UFOs — with Newsweek's Howard Fineman and Richard Wolffe for this week's magazine.

Newsweek.com: 'What She Can't Do Is Have It Both Ways'

Washington Wire:
Edwards Breaks His Â"Yes-or-NoÂ" Rule, by 88 Words

Discussion: Say Anything and Liberal Values

Sunlen Miller / ABCNEWS:
Obama Walking a Fine Line Engaging Clinton

Discussion: The Huffington Post

Jonathan S. Landay / McClatchy Washington Bureau:

Experts: No evidence of Iranian nuclear weapons program — WASHINGTON — Despite President Bush's claims that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons that could trigger "World War III," experts in and out of government say there's no conclusive evidence that Tehran has an active nuclear-weapons program.

Discussion: The Newshoggers, Crooks and Liars, Yourish.com, Jules Crittenden, Macsmind, Washington Post and NO QUARTER

Avi Klein / Washington Monthly:

The mysterious death of Lyndon LaRouche's printer — For forty years, the Lyndon LaRouche movement has been a ubiquitous, if diminishing, presence in the political landscape of America, and of Washington. LaRouche has made eight runs for the presidency, including one campaign from prison.

Discussion: The Corner

Andrew / stat.columbia.edu:

Religiosity and income in the U.S. — David noticed this article by Dan Mitchell reporting the well-known fact that people in richer countries tend to be less religious. What about states in the U.S.? We (that is, David Park, Joe Bafumi, Boris Shor, and I) look at it two ways.

Discussion: New York Times and About.com U.S. Politics

Kevin Drum / Washington Monthly:
GOD AND MAMMON, U.S. VERSION....A couple of weeks ago I posted …

Discussion: The Atlantic Online

John Ashcroft / New York Times:

Uncle Sam on the Line — FOR almost two years, the country has debated whether the Bush administration acted properly and lawfully in undertaking emergency surveillance operations of suspected foreign terrorists on presidential authorization in the wake of 9/11.

Discussion: The Next Hurrah and Prairie Weather

Robert Pear / New York Times:

Missteps on Both Sides Led to Health Bill Veto — They met almost every day in the spring and summer, a handful of powerful senators who had cleared their schedules to forge a bipartisan compromise providing health insurance to 10 million children. — It was a remarkable commitment …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Heading Right and Ankle Biting Pundits

Bryan / Hot Air:

Video: Fred Thompson on MTP, says he doesn't support the Human Life Amendment — Sen. Fred Thompson appeared on Meet the Press today and, Clintons take note, had to answer some tough questions asked by host Tim Russert. He discussed the crisis in Pakistan, his support for concealed carry laws on university campuses, and other issues.

Discussion: Stop The ACLU, The Jawa Report and Flopping Aces

CBN.com:
Fred Thompson says "No" to Human Life Amendment

Discussion: The Corner, Dick Polman's American Debate, National Review and The Politico

MSNBC:
'Meet the Press' transcript for Nov. 4, 2007

Discussion: Political Machine, Right Wing News, Taylor Marsh, The Atlantic Online, Crooks and Liars, The Stump, The Volokh Conspiracy, Los Angeles Times, Fred File and MoJoBlog

Tom Shales / Washington Post:

Brian Williams, Showing That An Anchor Can Be Light — Brian Williams neither took nor gave a pie in the face when he made history this weekend as the first network anchor to host NBC's "Saturday Night Live." Williams is NBC's, too, and the gig was supposed to help loosen up and polish up his image …

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, Extreme Mortman and Los Angeles Times

Robert Stacy McCain / Washington Times:

Poster relates Che's dark side — One of the most famous faces of communism is getting a makeover this week, with a new poster designed to teach students the whole story about Cuban revolutionary icon Ernesto "Che" Guevara. — "The Victims of Che Guevera" poster, produced …

Discussion: michellemalkin.com, Gateway Pundit and JammieWearingFool

Democracy for New Mexico:

Tom Udall on Possible Senate Run: Two Weeks to Decide — Rep. Tom Udall (NM-03) spoke to New Mexico Democrats yesterday at the Party's State Central Committee meeting at Smith-Brasher hall at CNM in Albuquerque. Bottom line: Udall will take another two weeks to listen to what the people …

Discussion: Draft Udall and MyDD

Associated Press:

PetroChina expected to surpass Exxon Mobil as most valuable company — HONG KONG: When the state oil and natural gas company PetroChina makes its debut Monday on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, China's booming stock markets will be on the verge of another milestone.