WHY WAS THE NIE RELEASED?....A couple of random thoughts on the newly released NIE concluding that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003:  — This NIE was apparently finished a year ago, and its basic parameters were almost certainly common knowledge in the White House well before that.

NIE Report: Iran Halted Nuclear Weapons Program Years Ago  —  ABC News' Martha Raddatz, Jonathan Karl, Luis Martinez and Kirit Radia Report: In a stunning reversal of Bush administration conventional wisdom, a new assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies concludes Iran shelved its nuclear weapons program over four years ago.

Despite Knowledge That Iran Halted Nuke Program, White House Continued To Warn Of False Threat  —  The National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) released today concludes that "in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program."  It adds that "Tehran had not restarted its nuclear weapons program …

Losing Ground In Iowa, Clinton Assails Obama  —  With a new poll showing her losing ground in the Iowa caucus race, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) mounted a new, more aggressive attack against Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Sunday, raising direct questions about his character …

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 …

This Clinton attack on Obama could boomerang  —  When a political candidate opens a line of attack against an opponent, it's usually wise to avoid the kind of criticism that will be viewed by many observers as the pot-calling-the-kettle-black, the sort of finger-pointing that can easily be turned back on the finger pointer.