Morning Brief, Friday, September 15
The detainee debate on Capitol Hill The Senate Armed Services Committee rejected yesterday Bush's plan to interrogate and try terror suspects, arguing that it would gut the Geneva Conventions. The rebellion, led by three Republicans with impeccable military credentials, leaves the Republican strategy on national security in jeopardy just a few weeks before the midterm ...
The detainee debate on Capitol Hill
The detainee debate on Capitol Hill
The Senate Armed Services Committee rejected yesterday Bush's plan to interrogate and try terror suspects, arguing that it would gut the Geneva Conventions. The rebellion, led by three Republicans with impeccable military credentials, leaves the Republican strategy on national security in jeopardy just a few weeks before the midterm elections. Bush will hold a news conference later this morning.
Iraq
The Post reports on the conflicting U.S. strategies at play in Anbar province:
[On the one hand]…the heavy focus of many regular U.S. military units on sweeping combat operations; and the more fine-grained, patient work Special Forces teams put into building rapport with local leaders, security forces and the people — work that experts consider vital in a counterinsurgency.
The latest plan to secure Baghdad? Dig trenches around the city.
Iran
Charles Krauthammer weighs in today on the Tehran calculus: The costs of taking out Iran's nuclear facilities will be great, the costs of not doing anything are just as bad, and we've got a year to make a decision.
Elsewhere
Taliban fighters seize a district in the west of Afghanistan. Muslim anger grows over the Pope's recent speech. Tom Friedman loves Brazilian ethanol.
Researchers publish a report in Science stating that, at a minimum, 200,000 people have died in Darfur. Zimbabwe cracks down on unions. Youths in the Ivory Coast beat the transport minister over a toxic waste dump scandal.
Spain admits it may have hosted CIA rendition stopovers. A Radio Free Europe journalist dies in a Turkmen jail. Japan gets its first glimpse of its new prince. And Oriana Fallaci has died at the age of 76.
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