Must Reads!!

• Iranian officials send mixed messages ahead of nuke talks
• ISIS study: Iranians could have tested nuclear trigger
• Singh: Washington must not waste its leverage over Iran
• GsGf: How to launch an Air Campaign against Iran
• White House to Syrian rebels: You’re on your own
• Wings Over Iraq: World Updates and Daily Defense Briefing
• Ziadeh: Why did anyone believe Assad to begin with?
• Gambill: Bush was right about causes of Arab political dysfunction
• North Korea says it has completed satellite launch prep
• Auslin: Bad Choice doesn’t mean No Choices re: North Korea
• PRC’s purchase of fighter raises question of true military spending

Plus -

Past hot-mic slips have been evanescent stories at best, but this one is likely to enter the annals of Obama administration foreign policy infelicities in the same file as "leading from behind," returning the Churchill bust to the UK, and showing the Dalai Lama the back door. The question is why? – Shadow Government

 The Obama administration appears to regard intelligence leaks and briefings more or less like briefings by the Democratic National Committee or White House flack Jay Carney…Where are the congressional intelligence committees, especially the Republican-led House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence? Isn’t it their job to prevent such politically-motivated leaking and abuse of intelligence data and personnel?     - The Weekly Standard Blog