Morning Brief, Thursday, September 7

Gitmo and the Bush speech Bush acknowledges the existence of secret CIA prisons and plans to try 14 high-level detainees, who’ve since been moved to Guantanamo Bay, in military tribunals if Congress approves. If anything, it’s a brilliant political move just weeks ahead of the midterms. The tribunals Bush wants are nearly identical to those ...

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607223_bush_71954335.jpg

Gitmo and the Bush speech

Gitmo and the Bush speech

Bush acknowledges the existence of secret CIA prisons and plans to try 14 high-level detainees, who’ve since been moved to Guantanamo Bay, in military tribunals if Congress approves. If anything, it’s a brilliant political move just weeks ahead of the midterms. The tribunals Bush wants are nearly identical to those he’s proposed before – and which the Supreme Court struck down in June.

There’s a lot of healthy skepticism over the plan, especially in Europe. Calls for caution and resistance to preelection stampeding abound. 

Iraq

The US-led coalition formally hands over control of Iraq’s air force, navy, and an army division to PM Maliki. Violence rocks Baghdad ahead of the much-anticipated ceremony.

And the long-awaited Senate report on how administration officials sold the war to the American people? Most of it won’t be released until after the midterms.  

Elsewhere

NATO’s commander: We need more troops for Afghanistan. Blair announces that he’ll go within a year. Israel agrees to lift its blockade of Lebanon today. Another prominent rights activist is detained in China in what some consider a growing crackdown. A Sudanese newspaper editor is beheaded after angering Islamists. And the US cracks down on internet gambling.

Carolyn O'Hara is a senior editor at Foreign Policy.

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