By Steve Clemons

Helene Cooper has a useful primer on which presidential contenders got a boost or got headwind from three major foreign policy issues last week.

Janet and Mike Huckabee at the Grand Hall of the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion In 2004, an associate of a friend began a correspondence with Janet Huckabee, wife of then Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.

Tim Rutten of the Los Angeles Times offered a brilliant take on the Romney speech on religion which I have only now just read. His blunt read in “Press Preys on Wrong Question” of Huckabee’s flirtation with the anti-Enlightenment commitment to creationism is worth reviewing too.

I interviewed award-winning documentary film maker Alex Gibney after a screening of his film, Taxi to the Dark Side. His response is clear, but my question to him is not.

I hosted a screening the other night of Alex Gibney’s powerful chronicle of America’s torture policy and activities, Taxi to the Dark Side. Afterward, I asked some of those who appeared in the film some questions.

When MoveOn.org ran full page ads just before the Congressional testimony of General David Petraeus and Ryan Crocker with huge headlines saying “General Petraeus or General Betray Us?“, John Bolton’s fellow travelers went great lengths to condemn Move On for its lack of appropriate respect for dedicated national security leaders.

So many have asked for a new picture of Oakley the Amazing Weimaraner and Annie the kid sister that I have this about to share. (Here is a slightly larger photo for the real fan club members) Thanks to all for the sensible, thoughtful commentary below on Comments.

I am going to enable the comment function on this blog again. But I need to say that the quality of discussion and exchange on line when I started this blog was better for the first couple of years than it is now. I want to return to the quality of that exchange.

ArmsControlWonk’s Jeffrey Lewis and nuclear weapons watcher Paul Kerr turn out to be the winners of the what-is-Iran-really-doing prize.

I have received quite a few thoughtful, sensible appeals from regular TWN readers, commenters, and emailers to turn the comments function back on. I will do so — but only after I have time to write and draft a statement of what I believe constitutes fair and worthwhile commentary on this blog.