memeorandum: The Clinton Panic — Extraordinary. She's lost some altitude … (The Corner)

12:45 PM 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:

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: The Newshoggers, Ezra Klein, Outside The Beltway, RealClearPolitics, Time, Yourish.com, Hot Air, Foreign Policy Watch, Horses Mouth, Daniel W. Drezner, Obsidian Wings, The Reaction, Danger Room, ArmsControlWonk and Political Machine

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: Hot Air, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Macsmind, PoliGazette, Cheat Seeking Missiles and Washington Monthly

Thomas Joscelyn / Weekly Standard:

NIE: An Abrupt About-Face — As many recognize, the latest NIE on Iran's nuclear weapons program directly contradicts what the U.S. Intelligence Community was saying just two years previously. And it appears that this about-face was very recent. How recent?

Discussion: Captain's Quarters and Wolf Howling

Opinion Journal:
'High Confidence' Games

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, The Strata-Sphere, PoliPundit.com, Washington Post and New York Times

New York Times:
Key Judgments From a National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's Nuclear Activity

Discussion: The New Republic

New York Times:
Good and Bad News About Iran

Discussion: Commentary, Los Angeles Times, American Footprints and The Heretik

David Ignatius / Washington Post:
The Myth of the Mad Mullahs

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Cato-at-liberty and Buck Naked Politics

Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:
Intercepting Iran's Take on America

Discussion: Attytood and Prairie Weather

The Big Trunk / Power Line:
FIVE YEARS OF THE CONDOR

Discussion: New York Sun, Political Machine and The Tank

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

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

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

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.

Byron York / Invalid Article on National Review Online:

The Story Mike Huckabee Dreads — In August, I interviewed former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee about the case of Wayne Dumond, the convicted rapist who was freed under Huckabee's administration, only to rape and kill a woman in neighboring Missouri. The crime attracted enormous attention in Arkansas …

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Crooks and Liars, Political Machine, Redstate, The Blotter and Hot Air

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: New York Times, Boston Globe, 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

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, Dr. Sanity, democracyarsenal.org, Gateway Pundit, New York Times and The Carpetbagger Report

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

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.

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 …

Daniel W. Reilly / The Politico:

Skelton earns respect of military, Republicans — A self-described small-town "country lawyer," Rep. Ike Skelton suddenly had the case of a lifetime last September. — On trial was the conduct of the Iraq war, and as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, the Missouri Democrat …

Fred W. Baker III / DefenseLINK:
Army Civilians Could Receive Furlough Notices by Christmas

Discussion: Weekly Standard

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

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: Weekly Standard, Captain's Quarters, The Corner, The Jawa Report, Sister Toldjah, Fausta's blog, USS Neverdock, JammieWearingFool and michellemalkin.com

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.