Today’s Early Bird leads with a section devoted to “Detainees,” topped by a story from The Washington Post that reports that the top Bush administration official in charge of deciding whether to bring Guantanamo Bay detainees to trial has concluded that the U.S. military tortured a Saudi national who allegedly planned to participate in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, interrogating him with techniques that included sustained isolation, sleep deprivation, nudity and prolonged exposure to cold, leaving him in a "life-threatening condition.""We tortured [Mohammed al-]Qahtani," said Susan J. Crawford, in her first interview since being named convening authority of military commissions by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates in February 2007. "His treatment met the legal definition of torture. And that's why I did not refer the case" for prosecution.Crawford, a retired judge who served as general counsel for the Army during the Reagan administration and as Pentagon inspector general when Dick Cheney was secretary of defense, is the first senior Bush administration official responsible for reviewing practices at Guantanamo to publicly state that a detainee was tortured.
Other detainee-related stories in today’s EB report (via the Washington Times, among others) that the Pentagon is looking at several military bases in the U.S. as possible sites to hold terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including Camp Pendleton in San Diego and Fort Leavenworth in Kansas.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Times reports that terrorism suspects who have been held but released from Guantánamo Bay are increasingly returning to the fight against the United States and its allies, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Sixty-one detainees released from the U.S. Navy base prison in Cuba are believed to have rejoined the fight, said Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell, citing data from December. That's up from 37 as of March, he said. The new figures come as President-elect Obama prepares to issue an executive order during his first week in office to close the controversial prison.
Other noteworthy stories in today’s EB:
§ The Los Angeles Times reports that inadequate supplies of food, water, electricity and healthcare have replaced security as the primary concern of Iraqi citizens, the Pentagon says in a progress report Tuesday. But nearly six years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the nation's long-term stability remains threatened by disagreements among its power brokers, the report says. The quarterly progress report, required by Congress, was the final assessment submitted before President Bush leaves office next week. By the end of November, it says, security incidents had reached their lowest weekly number since the U.S. military began systematically counting attacks on military targets and civilians in January 2004. In Baghdad, the number of attacks declined 72% from the same period in 2007.
§ The London Daily Telegraph reports that a Taliban bomb-making factory in southern Afghanistan has been shut down following an airborne assault by British commandos. Troops seized more than 130 detonators capable of setting off the types of bomb that have killed dozens of coalition soldiers in the past year. Commanders said the raid, carried out last week, was a major success in thwarting the Taliban's increasingly sophisticated bombing campaign. In the past month 10 British soldiers and seven Canadians have been killed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in southern Afghanistan.
§ The San Francisco Chronicle reports that President Obama will end the 15-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" policy that has prevented homosexual and bisexual men and women from serving openly within the U.S. military, a spokesman for the president-elect said. Obama said during the campaign that he opposed the policy, but since his election in November he has made statements that have been interpreted as backpedaling. On Friday, however, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs, responding on the transition team's Web site to a Michigan resident who asked if the new administration planned to get rid of the policy, said: "You don't hear politicians give a one-word answer much. But it's 'Yes.' "
§ The Los Angeles Times reports that more active-duty Marines committed suicide last year than any year since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, although the suicide rate remained virtually unchanged because the Marine Corps is increasing in size, according to a report issued Tuesday. Forty-one Marines are listed as possible or confirmed suicides in 2008, or 16.8 per 100,000 troops, the Marine Corps report said. Nearly all were enlisted and under 24, and about two-thirds had deployed overseas.
§ The Washington Post reports that, after being deadlocked twice, a D.C. Superior Court jury yesterday acquitted a Marine amputee on felony charges of gun possession stemming from an arrest while he was on the way to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. In the 2006 incident, Cpl. Melroy H. Cort, 24, and his wife, Samantha, were en route from their home in Columbus, Ohio, to Walter Reed. Cort's legs had been amputated above the knees when he was wounded by a makeshift bomb in Ramadi during his third tour of duty in Iraq. The couple's car got a flat tire, forcing them to pull over at a car repair shop in the 5000 block of Georgia Avenue NW. While there, Cort said, he reached into the glove compartment, removed a 9mm pistol and put it in his jacket pocket. A witness who noticed Cort handling the gun called police, who arrested and handcuffed Cort while he was sitting in his wheelchair. He was charged with three counts of carrying a pistol without a license, possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of ammunition. He spent the night in the D.C. jail before returning to Walter Reed.
Media summary
1. Leading newspaper headlines: The Washington Post leads with the Bush administration official in charge of deciding which detainees at Guantanamo Bay will go to trial declaring that the U.S. military tortured Mohammed al-Qahtani, a Saudi who allegedly intended to be a part of the Sept. 11 attacks. (Slate Magazine)
2. Marine suicides in 2008 at yearly high since Iraq invasion: More active-duty Marines committed suicide last year than any year since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, although the suicide rate remained virtually unchanged because the Marine Corps is increasing in size, according to a report issued Tuesday. (Los Angeles Times)
3. Israel pursues its Gaza offensive: Fighting has intensified in the Gaza Strip between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants. (BBC)
4. Tribes end Afghan border blockade: (BBC)
Leading newspaper headlines
The Washington Post leads with the Bush administration official in charge of deciding which detainees at Guantanamo Bay will go to trial declaring that the U.S. military tortured Mohammed al-Qahtani, a Saudi who allegedly intended to be a part of the Sept. 11 attacks. "We tortured Qahtani," Susan Crawford, the convening authority of military commissions, said. Crawford has now become "the first senior Bush administration official responsible for reviewing practices at Guantanamo to publicly state that a detainee was tortured," declares the WP's Bob Woodward. The Wall Street Journal banners word that Citigroup will soon announce a plan to get rid of several of its businesses and shrink the giant company by one-third. Executives say the move "will essentially dismantle the financial colossus built by legendary deal maker Sanford Weill," reports the WSJ.
The New York Times leads with Sen. Hillary Clinton's confirmation hearing, where she vowed that the new administration would put diplomacy front and center and hinted there would be a tougher stance on Israel. Although the former first lady faced some tough questions over her husband's fundraising, she received lots of praise from lawmakers, and no one doubts that she will be confirmed as the next secretary of state. The Los Angeles Times leads with a look at how hospitals are feeling the effects of the economic downturn as more patients are choosing to postpone medical care and are forgoing elective procedures. The story focuses on California but points out hospitals across the country are hurting due to the "the financial, economic and government crises" that are "hitting at once." USA Today leads an interview with President Bush, who said President-elect Barack Obama's biggest challenge will be to "protect the American people" from "an enemy attack."
In her first interview since becoming the point person in the military commissions, Crawford stated that she refused to allow Qahtani to be prosecuted because the treatment he received while in custody "met the legal definition of torture." Crawford was careful to emphasize that all the interrogation techniques used with Qahtani were authorized at the time, but it was the way the different methods were combined, as well as their duration, that had an adverse impact on the detainee's health. "It was abusive and uncalled for," she said. "And coercive. Clearly coercive."
Although military prosecutors have said they would refile charges against the alleged 20th hijacker based on information gleaned from later interrogations that didn't use harsh techniques, Crawford emphasized that she wouldn't allow it to move forward. Crawford recognized that her unwillingness to let the prosecution go forward means that Obama faces a tough choice. "He's a very dangerous man," she said. "I would be hesitant to say, 'Let him go.' "
In a related story, the WP goes inside with a former Guantanamo prosecutor saying in a declaration filed in federal court that the evidence against detainees at the prison in Cuba is such a mess that it is impossible to carry out a proper prosecution. Darrel Vandeveld was the lead prosecutor against an Afghan who has been held in Guantanamo for six years but left his post last year due to what he described as a crisis of conscience. Vandeveld affirms that most of the important evidence was missing or suffered from a "complete lack of organization." The chief military prosecutor isn't buying it and says Vandeveld is just bitter because he wasn't chosen to be a team leader.
As expected, Citigroup announced yesterday that its Smith Barney brokerage unit will be split off into a joint venture with Morgan Stanley. But the company will also announce that it is getting rid of two consumer-finance units as well as getting out of the private-label credit-card business. The WSJ says that after all the restructuring is finished, Citigroup will look much like Citicorp did before it went through the landmark merger with Travelers Group a decade ago, which created one of the world's largest financial institutions that operates in more than 100 countries. If all goes according to plan, one part of Citigroup would become "an all-purpose corporate and investment bank" while another would deal with wealthy individuals around the world.
The NYT also hears word of the plans and says that the move to "split itself in two" came after the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation warned Citigroup that if they asked for more cash infusions from the government, regulators would forcibly break up the financial behemoth's operations.
In her confirmation hearing, Clinton said the Obama administration would seek to have direct diplomatic contact with Iran and Syria as part of its general effort to bring back an emphasis on diplomacy. "I believe that American leadership has been wanting but is still wanted," she said. Lest anyone think that Clinton had somehow transformed into a dove, she emphasized that "military force will sometimes be needed." Clinton once again emphasized that she's against direct negotiations with Hamas and said that she is "deeply sympathetic" to Israel's desire to protect its people. At the same time, she seemed to part a bit from the Bush administration by pointing out that the Palestinians have suffered "tragic humanitarian costs."
In other confirmation news, most papers front Timothy Geithner's meeting with key senators yesterday to discuss his failure to pay some income taxes. In addition, there were questions about the immigration status of a former household employee but that isn't seen as that big of a deal because it came as news to Geithner that her papers had expired three months before she stopped working at his home. The bigger problem for the man who would oversee the Internal Revenue Service is his underpaying of taxes earlier this decade. He has since paid back more than $48,000 in back taxes and interest.
Democrats played down the issue, saying that Geithner made a simple mistake during his time at the International Monetary Fund that is common for employees of international institutions. In 2006, the IRS discovered that Geithner owed taxes in 2003 and 2004, and then the Obama transition team discovered he had failed to pay the same taxes for 2001 and 2002, which he promptly corrected. As the NYT and WSJ highlight, the question then becomes why he didn't pay back everything he owed once the IRS pointed out his mistake, and some say he knowingly took advantage of the statute of limitations. No one expects the revelations to block his confirmation, but the WP reports that two Republican senators blocked a request to proceed with the hearing on Friday, although Democrats still hope he will be confirmed by Inauguration Day.
In a move that is making some lawmakers in closely contested districts nervous, the LAT reports that Obama's political team is quietly planning to create an organization, known internally as "Barack Obama 2.0," that would sustain the huge network of grass-roots supporters he gained in the campaign. It's still in the early stages, but it looks like the network would not only lobby for the president's agenda but also start working on his re-election. In part, the network, which might be run out of the Democratic National Committee, could be used to pressure lawmakers, including Democrats, to help Obama pass controversial legislation. Republicans created a similar structure under Bush, but they used it to win elections and not influence members of their own party. In addition, there are discussions about creating a separate service organization to help victims of natural disasters "under the Obama umbrella."
The WP off-leads, and the WSJ tops its world-wide newsbox with Fed leaders urging Congress to approve the release of the second half of the $700 billion bailout package because, quite simply, ailing financial institutions need more money. In a back-to-the-past moment, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke yesterday said there should be a renewed effort to help banks get rid of toxic assets from their balance sheets. You might remember that was the initial purpose of the bailout plan, but it was later scrapped in favor of cash infusions. Bernanke warned that a stimulus package is unlikely to lead to a lasting economic recovery unless financial institutions are also strengthened. While lobbying lawmakers, Obama made it clear he wouldn't hesitate to use his veto power if they fail to release the funds.
In a front-page analysis, the NYT says Washington is slowly coming to the realization that banks are going to need more money. Even the bailout's critics recognize that things would have probably been a lot worse without the cash infusions, but "the problems are still acute, if less apparent on the surface." Analysts now expect that total losses from the credit crisis could reach $1.8 trillion, which is twice as high as previous estimates.
In an interesting piece, the NYT takes a look at a Michigan bank that got $72 million from the government but still isn't "doing much lending." The bank is hardly an exception and illustrates how banks are using the cash to stabilize their balance sheets.
The WP's Harold Meyerson writes that "if the Treasury had set out to design a system to demonstrate once and for all that trickle-down economics doesn't work, it could not have done better than TARP" since banks are taking care of themselves courtesy of Uncle Sam. That's why it's essential that lawmakers approve a measure that would direct banks that get government money to start lending when they approve the release of the next $350 billion. The measure is particularly important considering that Obama's appointees have repeatedly "sided with banks against the public interest."
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Marine suicides in 2008 at a yearly high since Iraq invasion
Forty-one active-duty Marines are possible or confirmed suicides for the year. The rate per 100,000 troops remains about the same due to the Corps' increased size, a report says.
By Tony Perry January 14, 2009
More active-duty Marines committed suicide last year than any year since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, although the suicide rate remained virtually unchanged because the Marine Corps is increasing in size, according to a report issued Tuesday.Forty-one Marines are listed as possible or confirmed suicides in 2008, or 16.8 per 100,000 troops, the Marine Corps report said. Nearly all were enlisted and under 24, and about two-thirds had deployed overseas.
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Casualties
In 2007, 33 Marines committed suicide -- a rate of 16.5 per 100,000 troops. The Marine Corps is adding troops and calling in reservists to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as other foreign bases and stateside.The Marine suicide rate is still below that for civilian populations with similar demographics -- 19.5 per 100,000.It is also less than that of the Army in 2007 (18.1 per 100,000). The Army suicide figures for 2008 have not yet been released, but officials said late last year they expected the number and rate to increase from 2007.
The suicide rates for the Marines and the Army have been closely tracked because the two services have borne the brunt of the fighting and repeat deployments in the Middle East.Release of the Marine figures came during a four-day suicide prevention workshop in San Antonio sponsored by the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments.The keynote address was given by Army Maj. Gen. Mark Graham, who lost one son to suicide and another to combat in Iraq."Both of my sons died fighting different battles," he said.The Marine Corps has several programs to prevent suicide, beginning in boot camp. Marines are encouraged to watch their buddies for signs that they may be considering suicide.In October, the Army and the National Institute of Mental Health began a five-year, $50-million research program to investigate the causes of suicide among troops.tony.perry@latimes.com
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Israel pursues its Gaza offensive
Both sides have rejected UN calls for an immediate ceasefire
Fighting has intensified in the Gaza Strip between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants.
Residents spoke of heavy machine-gun fire as Israeli troops fought Hamas gunmen near Gaza City. Israel said it launched 60 air strikes overnight.
The fighting has reportedly killed nearly 1,000 Gazans and 13 Israelis.
Diplomatic moves to end the crisis continue, with UN head Ban Ki-moon urging an immediate ceasefire after talks in Egypt with President Mubarak.
Egypt has been leading efforts to broker a ceasefire deal, that could include a new force of peacekeepers to prevent smuggling on its border with Gaza.
President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has called for an end to Israel's military operation in Gaza, warning that the campaign would fuel extremism and terrorism in the Arab and Muslim world.
"The effect of war is more dangerous than war. It is sowing seeds of extremism around the region," Mr Assad said in an exclusive BBC interview.
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Tribes end Afghan border blockade
The Chaman crossing is not as heavily used as Torkham further north
Protesters in western Pakistan have ended their blockade of a key route supplying international forces in Afghanistan, officials say.
Ethnic Pashtun tribesmen began the blockade of the border crossing in the Chaman area of Balochistan province five days ago.
They were protesting at the killing of a tribesman by the security forces.
The main supply route, in the Khyber area, has also suffered severe disruption in recent months.
Rockets
A police spokesman said that the blockade at Chaman ended after it was agreed that the death of the tribesman would be investigated.
The tribesmen were also reportedly angry over the military's searches for militants.
Officials said traffic was now moving smoothly.
The Chaman route into Afghanistan has been relatively free of trouble compared to the larger Torkham crossing in the Khyber section.
Last month authorities briefly suspended the Khyber supply route to launch an offensive against militants.
The operation was intended to halt a wave of hijackings and attacks on vehicles carrying supplies into Afghanistan.
However, on Tuesday several rockets were again fired at a Nato supply depot terminal on the outskirts of Peshawar, damaging a number of trucks.
Routes through Pakistan carry about 75% of the supplies needed by the US and Nato forces.
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