ACR LGT ASKS FOR AND GETS VISUAL CIRCLING APCH WITH RPTED WX 200 BROKEN; 1-2 MI VISIBILITY.

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ON THE COUGAR ARR TO IAH WE WERE GIVEN A VECTOR TO INTERCEPT THE RWY 14L LOC. APPROX 15 NM OUT WE RPTED THE ARPT IN SIGHT. THE CTLR SEEMED SURPRISED AND INQUIRED IF WE IN FACT HAD THE ARPT. BOTH THE CAPT AND I CONFIRMED THE ARPT WAS IN SIGHT. THE CTLR SAID THE RPTED WX WAS 200 FT BROKEN; 1-2 MI VISIBILITY WITH FOG. WE BOTH RECONFIRMED THE ARPT IN SIGHT. THE CTLR THEN CLRED US FOR A VISUAL TO RWY 14L; THE CAPT THEN TOLD THE CTLR IN LIGHT OF THE WX RPT THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE FOR THE ILS. THE CTLR REISSUED CLRNC TO INTERCEPT THE RWY 14L LOC FOR THE ILS APCH. AS WE ENTERED THE LOC WE ENTERED A RAIN SHOWER. HOWEVER; WE NEVER LOST SIGHT OF THE RWY. AT APPROX THE OM WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT THE TWR. BEFORE ESTABLISHING CONTACT THE CAPT SAID TO ASK FOR RWY 8. I NOTICED AND POINTED OUT TO THE CAPT A SCUD DECK (LOW CLOUDS) BELOW US AND ASKED IF HE STILL WANTED RWY 8. HE SAID YES. UPON CONTACTING THE TWR I ASKED FOR RWY 8. THE CTLR SEEMED SOMEWHAT SURPRISED BUT CLRED US FOR RWY 8. AS WE TURNED TO LAND ON RWY 8 I AGAIN POINTED OUT THE SCUD DECK BUT GOT NO RESPONSE FROM THE CAPT. ON SHORT FINAL WE PASSED THROUGH A THIN LAYER OF CLOUDS. THE RWY WAS ALWAYS IN SIGHT AND THE LNDG UNEVENTFUL. THE INITIAL DECISION TO CONTINUE THE ILS TO RWY 14L WAS PROPER. HOWEVER; THE DECISION TO LAND ON RWY 8 WAS QUESTIONABLE IF NOT ILLEGAL SINCE WE PASSED THROUGH CLOUDS ON A VISUAL APCH. FACTORS INVOLVED: LATE NIGHT ARR AND THE DESIRE TO SHORTEN THE DISTANCE TO THE GATE. LNDG RWY 8 WOULD SAVE SEVERAL MINS IN TAXI TIME TO THE GATE. CAPT'S DECISION TO LAND ON RWY 8 NOT ACKNOWLEDGING OTHER CREW MEMBER INPUT. FO NOT BEING ASSERTIVE ENOUGH IN SHOWING CONCERN OVER THE SCUD DECK AND POSSIBLE PROBS WITH VISUAL APCH.