Morning Brief, Friday, September 8
Trying terror detainees Either Bush is getting genuine opposition to his plan to establish military tribunals to try terror detainees at Gitmo, or congressional Republicans are simply appearing lukewarm because Bush may be as radioactive as ever as the midterms approach. Either way, some of Bush's claims about the efficacy of "tough" interrogation measures on ...
Trying terror detainees
Trying terror detainees
Either Bush is getting genuine opposition to his plan to establish military tribunals to try terror detainees at Gitmo, or congressional Republicans are simply appearing lukewarm because Bush may be as radioactive as ever as the midterms approach. Either way, some of Bush's claims about the efficacy of "tough" interrogation measures on detainees may not hold water.
Mr. Bush said it was Mr. Zubaydah who disclosed to C.I.A. interrogators that Mr. Mohammed…often used the alias Mukhtar, sometimes spelled Muktar.
"This was a vital piece of intelligence that helped our intelligence community pursue K.S.M.,” Mr. Bush said, referring to the terror suspect by his initials.
The report of the Sept. 11 commission said that the C.I.A. knew of the moniker for Mr. Mohammed months before the capture of Mr. Zubaydah.
and
Mr. Bush also said it was the interrogation of Mr. Zubaydah that identified Mr. bin al-Shibh as an accomplice in the Sept. 11 attacks.
American officials had identified Mr. bin al-Shibh's role in the attacks months before Mr. Zubaydah's capture.
Europeans are still expressing mixed feelings over the revelation of CIA black sites, and Bush calls for an expansion of wiretapping authority. And now that Indonesia knows that Hambali is in Gitmo, they want access to him.
Iran
In Washington, Iran's former president urges renewed dialogue on Iran's nuclear program. The EU's Javier Solana will meet with Iran's top nuclear negotiator over the weekend.
Iraq
The Health Ministry confirms it is building new morgue branches around Baghdad in order to handle the influx of dead. Krauthammer: Iraq may be in the midst of a civil war, but that's no reason we can't still help establish a functioning, self-sustaining government. Others aren't so optimistic.
Elsewhere
A suicide bombing in Kabul kills more than a dozen, including two US soldiers. Two explosions targeting Muslims kill more than 20 in the west of India.
Richard Armitage admits he was the original source on the Valerie Plame leak. New allegations this week that Plame's job at the CIA was perhaps more sensitive – and important – than initially rumored.
Al Gore has to be pleased this morning. Even The Economist is calling for action on global warming.
And in a sign of growing Japanese militarism, the likely next prime minister suggests he won't embrace the country's official apology for WWII.
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