Security
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
Sarah Palin released the second leg of her “Going Rogue” book tour yesterday, including a stop in Fort Hood.
“I'm looking forward to seeing everyone in every stop on the tour, but I'm especially looking forward to meeting our brave men and women in uniform at Fort Hood,” Palin said on her Facebook page. “I'm joining the efforts of many others by donating my royalties from the book sales during our stop at Fort Hood to the families of the victims whose lives have been forever changed by the tragic events of November 5th. I am humbled to be able to join the larger effort called ‘Community Response to 11/5,’ which was established by the Central Texas-Fort Hood Chapter of the Association of the US Army (AUSA).”
Yesterday, Palin said, "I think that there were massive warning flags that were missed all over the place and I think that it was quite unfortunate that, to me, it was a fear of being politically incorrect to not -- I am going to use the word -- profile this guy -- profile in the sense of finding out what his radical beliefs were. … Now, because I used the word 'profile' I am going to get clobbered tomorrow morning. The liberals, their heads are just going to be spinning. They're going to say 'she is radical, she is extreme.' "
Palin did not specify what she meant by “profile,” widely and generally believed to be a reference to focusing on groups of people by race, religion or otherwise. There certainly was seemingly enough evidence that Army Major Nadal Hasan was not a competent psychiatrist without “profiling” him. But, NPR reported, that Hasan’s religion may have been a factor in him being passed – despite his poor marks. And the FBI has said it was aware of Hasan’s communications with a radical Imam prior to the shooting, but deemed them not necessarily evidence of so-called radical views.
Hardly “liberals,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen gave differing views than Palin on profiling.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Courtney Kube
Despite the fact that Germany decided to extend their current commitment in Afghanistan earlier this week, the German Defense Minister said today that they will not commit to any additional troops there until after President Obama announces his decision on the way forward in Afghanistan.
After a meeting with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates today, German Minister of Defense Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg told reporters at the Pentagon that he is "eagerly" waiting for "a new concept and new strategic ideas from our American friends."
Before the Germans commit any additional troops, Guttenberg said that they also need "a clear commitment by the Afghan government."
"We need more than just words; we need action" by the Afghan government, Guttenberg said.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC’s Betsy Cline
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. Mike Mullen said today the president's decision on troop levels was imminent for Afghanistan, though he didn't know exactly when.
In response to a question about what worries him most, Mullen told a group of National Guardsmen it was Afghanistan and Pakistan keeping him up at night. But, he said, the deliberations with the President's national security team about what to do next have been positive and open to differing viewpoints. He said he appreciated the depth and breadth of the conversations.
Defense Secretary Gates also spoke at the event but did not mention the pending Afghanistan decision. He spoke mostly supporting the National Guard and their families, particularly in regards to increasing troop dwell time, or the amount of time between deployments.
From NBC's Wendy Jones
Four members of the House GOP Conference, engaged in a little Democrat-bashing this morning, criticizing
President Obama's antiterrorism strategy and
"Speaker Pelosi's" health care plan.
Minority Leader John Boehner (OH) criticized the Obama administration for not detailing an over-arching strategy to "fight terrorists and keep America safe." Said Boehner, "I spent last week travelling...and if there's one thing I heard out there it's that the Democrats in Washington are totally out of step" with America. He went on to criticize the Administration for its plan to bring Kahlid Sheik Mohammed to New York: "To come to the US is one issue...to be given the rights of US citizens is just awful."
He urged collegues to bring Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI)'s "Keep Terrorists out of America" legislation to the floor. The bill urges Congress to oppose transferring or releasing prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to the United States.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Robert Windrem
Pakistan’s civilian and military leaders are tangling in a series of political confrontations that could lead to a constitutional crisis or worse after the New Year, officials in both Islamabad and Washington tell NBC News.
With the tenor and volume of debate rising over America’s commitment to Afghanistan, that struggle is complicating U.S. strategy to stabilize the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. It's not only that dozens are dying every week in suicide bombings or that there are concerns that the Pakistani military will not be able to hold the territory it has won in hard-fought battles in South Waziristan. The more profound issue, say Pakistani and U.S. officials, is the fate of President Asif Ali Zardari, who is engaged in a seemingly never-ending battles with the country’s powerful military and intelligence establishments.
In recent weeks, say officials, opponents of Zardari have begun raising the stakes, setting up what some are calling a “soft coup … a legislative coup” -- an attempt to force Zardari out. How does this all play out in terms of relations with the U.S.? Often, the Americans are caught in the middle.
NBC producer Amna Nawaz recently returned from Pakistan. You can watch and read some of her work from here trip here.
For more on this story, click here.
From NBC's Mark Murray and Mike Viqueira
Not surprisingly, Republicans are pouncing on the news that the Justice Department plans to bring accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other 9/11 detainees from Guantanamo Bay to stand trial in federal court in New York.
"These terrorists planned and executed the mass murder of thousands of innocent Americans. Treating them like common criminals is unconscionable," said GOP Sen. John Cornyn. "The attacks of September 11th were an act of war. Reverting to a pre-9/11 approach to fighting terrorism and bringing these dangerous individuals onto U.S. soil needlessly compromises the safety of all Americans."
House Minority Leader John Boehner adds: "The possibility that Khalid Sheik Mohammed and his co-conspirators could be found 'not guilty' due to some legal technicality just blocks from Ground Zero should give every American pause."
And here's Rep. Buck McKeon, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee: "By choosing to prosecute these terrorists in our domestic criminal system, the President has revealed that he views the terrorist attacks on New York City and the nation's capital as a crime-not as an act of war. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his cohorts violated the law of war and should be prosecuted in a war tribunal."
*** UPDATE *** The guys at the National Campaign to Close Guantanamo counter, "195 terrorists have been convicted in U.S. federal courts since 2001. The terrorists who bombed the World Trade Center in 1993 were tried and convicted in U.S. courts and are now locked away in a federal supermax prison. Yet Republicans in Congress will no doubt attack the transfer of these detainees as a threat to Americans."
*** UPDATE 2 *** NBC's Ken Strickland adds that McCain and Jeff Sessions hit Obama:
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Sue Kroll
At today's State Department briefing, spokesman Ian Kelly was asked about the leaked cables from U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry -- which expressed concerns about sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan -- and if they were at odds with Secretary Clinton backing the increase of more troops.
Kelly replied, "Ambassador Eikenberry has been providing this kind of advice and analysis to the president and secretary since he arrived."
A senior State Department official told reporters that Eikenberry sends messages and memos to the president and Secretary Clinton on a daily basis.
From NBC’s Pete Williams
In the world's first criminal trial of CIA officials over the practice known as "rendition," an Italian judge today found nearly two-dozen American citizens guilty of kidnapping. The U.S. has used renditions to take suspected terrorists from one foreign country to another for questioning or to the U.S. None of the U.S. defendants were ever in the courtroom: they were tried in absentia.
The case involved a radical Egyptian cleric, Abu Omar, who was picked up on a street in Milan in February 2003 and taken to Egypt. When he was released four years later, he claimed he was brutally tortured by the Egyptian intelligence service. Italian authorities then prosecuted the Americans and members of Italy's military intelligence service.
Today, the judge sentenced 22 of the Americans to five years in prison. The other, a former CIA station chief in Milan, was sentenced to eight years. Three other Americans were originally charged, but the judge ruled today that they had diplomatic immunity. Because they were not in Italy during the trial, they remain free.
The trial has been a sore point in relations between the U.S. and Italy. Despite calls from international human rights groups, the Italians have not sought the extradition of the Americans. Prosecutors there say they will try again, but that will be up to Italy's justice ministry.
CONTINUED >>
From NBC's Athena Jones
President Obama called Afghan President Hamid Karzai to congratulate him on being named the winner of that country's election, and urged him to work to improve governance and end corruption there.
Karzai was named the victor when his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, dropped out of a runoff election scheduled for Nov. 7. The second round was called after allegations of fraud -- backed up by international monitors -- marred the August vote. But Abdullah argued that not enough protections had been put in place to avoid a repeat of the earlier problems.
Video: President Hamid Karzai won a second term after the Afghan election commission canceled the scheduled runoff race. How will this affect President Obama's decision on troop deployment to the region?
Administration officials have consistently contended the United States must have a credible, legitimate partner heading the government in Afghanistan in order to accomplish America's chief national security goals of denying Al Qaeda a safe haven in the country and preventing the Taliban from taking over there.
Obama's remarks echoed those of White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, who told reporters earlier in the day that Karzai was the country's legitimate leader, but stopped short of calling him a credible partner. The president said Afghanistan's electoral was "messy," but that the final outcome was in line with Afghanistan's constitution.
CONTINUED >>
”Afghan election officials canceled a presidential runoff and proclaimed the reelection of President Hamid Karzai on Monday, a day after Karzai's top challenger declared he would not take part in a second round of voting scheduled for Saturday because of a persistent risk of fraud,” the Washington Post says.
The Boston Globe calls it Karzai's "win by default." And it adds this context: "American officials hope to help restore legitimacy to Karzai’s government by en couraging him to build a reform-minded government that is ethnically representative and includes Abdullah’s followers. US Ambassador Karl Eikenberry and UN mission chief Kai Eide negotiated with the two camps late into the night Saturday about a power-sharing deal, according to the Western diplomat. But the negotiations broke down early yesterday when Karzai refused a formula for dividing Cabinet posts. If the deal had been accepted, Abdullah would have conceded rather than simply withdraw his candidacy, the diplomat said. Abdullah’s decision not to call for a boycott may indicate he is open to talks."
Video:
A Morning Meeting panel discusses whether the cancellation of the runoff election in Afghanistan will impact President Obama's decision on troop deployment
The
New York Times’ analysis wonders if the Karzai government will have legitimacy. “It will not be easy. As the evidence mounted in late summer that Mr. Karzai’s forces had sought to win re-election through widespread fraud to defeat his main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, administration officials made no secret of their disgust. How do you consider sending tens of thousands of additional American troops, they asked in meetings in the White House, to prop up an Afghan government regarded as illegitimate by many of its own people? The answer was supposed to be a runoff election. Now, administration officials argue that Mr. Karzai will have to regain that legitimacy by changing the way he governs, at a moment when he is politically weaker than at any time since 2001.”
Abdullah Abdullah's decision to boycott his state's runoff election
does not complicate the president's plans for Afghanistan, White House aide Valerie Jarrett said Sunday. Rather, Abdullah's withdrawal from the November contest because of concerns about its fairness is a mostly 'political' move that 'does not markedly change the situation,' explained White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod."
