From the Sports Network:

Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre has been selected as Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year.

Favre is having one of the best seasons of his 17-year career for the 10-2 Packers. He’s completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 3,412 yards with 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

In addition, he’s already broken Dan Marino’s NFL records for career touchdown passes and pass attempts. Favre broke Marino’s mark of 420 career TD passes on September 30 against Minnesota and is just 450 yards shy of Marino’s all-time mark of 61,361 passing yards.

Favre’s off-the-field charitable contributions include his Fourward Foundation’s work toward helping in the Gulf Coast’s recovery from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The three-time NFL MVP became the fourth quarterback selected as Sportsman of the Year, following Terry Bradshaw in 1979, Joe Montana in 1990 and Tom Brady in 2005.

Shoddy? Since it’s the Bush administration we’re dealing with here, I’m sure Ahmadinejad meant to say ’shitty’. And seeing as how the older report appeared to be pulled out of someone’s ass, that would be quite more fitting.

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday called a U.S. intelligence report that downgraded Iran as a nuclear threat “a declaration of victory” for the Iranian nuclear program.
[...]

During a televised speech made from Ilam province in western Iran, Ahmadinejad said earlier reports from the United States had been based on “shoddy intelligence.”

The Bush administration has for years warned that Iran’s development of nuclear power plants and enriched uranium masked an effort to produce an nuclear bomb.

Top officials have called the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran “unacceptable.”

But in a report released Monday, U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Iran had suspended nuclear weapons work in 2003 and was unlikely to produce enough weapons-grade uranium for a bomb until at least 2010. The assessment reverses a 2005 National Intelligence Estimate that found the Islamic Republic was “determined to develop nuclear weapons despite its international obligations and international pressure.”

There’s concern that Iraq can’t handle the huge influx of refugees returning home and that it could fuel sectarian violence.

The number 2 U.S. commander in Iraq says 15 month tours in Iraq will likely continue until next fall.

Kidnappers holding 5 Brits in Iraq have threatened to kill one of them unless British troops leave Iraq within 10 days.

Editor & Publisher takes a look at the coverage of U.S. troop suicides in Iraq, or after returning from Iraq, by small local papers. Once said to be in the hundreds, it is now believed the number of suicides is in the thousands.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates made a surprise visit to Iraq today. (Still with the surprise visits….how safe could it be?) He will speak with Betrayus and al-Maliki to assess progress made.

Iraqi officials say the recent calm in Iraq is fragile and fleeting and that’s it’s more a cease fire than a peace.

The U.S. has agreed to accord that tightens control on security contractors in Iraq.

More than 40 women have been slain in the southern city of Basra in the last five months by militants deeming their behavior un-Islamic.

Security developments in Iraq 12/4/07

Sen. Joe Biden on Tuesday was incredulous over President Bush’s statement that he learned only last week that a recent intelligence estimate says Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003. “If that’s true … he’s one of the most incompetent presidents in modern American history.” Biden said.

Joe, ya dun went and made the prezdent cry…

Thank you, Joe!