The Politics of Shrewd

The President in another speech on terrorism unveiled the Administration's new National Strategy for Combating Terrorism yesterday. Or as Kelly O'Donnell put it in her Today show preview report: "Strategy for Combating Counter-Terrorism." A truly classic Freudian slip.

The reaction to that speech was good. Folks who want a reason to back the President in this war were encouraged.

Today, the President made yet another speech and the reaction dwarfs that from yesterday:

--It was an excellent speech...

--Prez speaks, Senate Acts...

--The President Strikes Back: Taken as a whole, the President's maneuver today turned the political tables completely around. He stole the terms of debate from the Democrats, and rewrote them, all in a single speech. It will be delightful to watch in coming days and hours as bewildered Democrats try to understand what just hit them, and then sort through the rubble of their anti-Bush national security strategy to see what, if anything, remains.

MKH echoes those comments: It turns out the news is that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other high-value terror detainees will be transferred to the Department of Defense from CIA prisons and given Geneva Convention Rights.

ABC News has learned that President Bush will announce that high-value detainees now being held at secret CIA prisons will be transferred to the Department of Defense and granted protections under the 1949 Geneva Conventions. It will be the first time the Administration publicly acknowledges the existence of the prisons.

A source familiar with the president's announcement says it will apply to all prisoners now being held by the CIA, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept.11 attacks, and senior al Qaeda leader Ramzi Binalshibh.

The source says there are "about a dozen" prisoners now being held by the CIA.

Glass half-full?

Actually, this is pretty shrewd. Superficially, Bush gets to come clean about the CIA prisons and act benevolent in granting this piece of filth POW status in one fell swoop, but what he’s really after is putting public pressure on Congress to approve military tribunals, not full courts-martial, for detainees. It’ll be a lot harder for the House and Senate to grant full due process protection to Al Qaeda prisoners now that one of the potential beneficiaries is the mastermind of 9/11 himself.

Tom Bevan at RealClearPolitics calls it jujitsu and I agree with his take:

A source within the military forwards the following observations on Bush's speech:

The "old media" and Drudge have it all wrong. Bush is not reversing course and they are not getting "Geneva Rights."

Today, the President has wagered all of his "political chips" and sided with the uniformed Combat Arms Branches instead of the JAG Chiefs.

First, whenever the President brings up that the illegal combatants are not uniform, that is a clear sign to those of us in the military that these individuals are not covered by Geneva.
Second, he is very clear that the CIA Detention program remains alive and well. ONLY after all information is obtained will they be turned over to DOD for military trial. Then they will face a death sentence.

Third, the President directly attacks the opinion by SCOTUS.

Lastly, Congress is now up against the wall. There is now a "face" that the public will see in regards to this legislation. IF Congress does not pass legislation, these 14 detainees tied to 9/11 will not receive ultimate Justice. What member of Congress wants to argue for them?
This was indeed a brilliant maneuver by Bush and I am thankful that he is running with it.
This sounds right to me. I'm not so sure Bush "put one over on the media" so much as they may have just flat out missed the story.

UPDATE: Sure enough, the White House has already issued the following email titled "Setting the Record Straight:

"Some Reports Claim "High-Value Detainees Will Be Given Prisoner-Of-War Status." But Neither The President's Proposed Legislation Nor The Detainees' Transfer To Guantanamo Gives The Detainees POW Status

*The President's Legislation Specifically Authorizes The Creation Of Military Commissions To Try These Suspected Terrorists For War Crimes. The Bill ensures that these commissions are established in a way that protects our national security and ensures a full and fair trial for the accused.

* Detainees Have Been Transferred To The Custody Of The Department Of Defense, At The U.S. Naval Base At Guantanamo Bay.

* Neither The President's Proposed Legislation Nor The Detainees' Transfer To Guantanamo Gives The Detainees POW Status. [emphasis added]

Mario and Tom are correct. The Dems have been caught flat-footed. While they're showboating a resolution to see Donald Rumsfeld pushed out the door at Defense, the President has done an end-around and put them in a hole.

He now pushes for what he wants, with the sanction of the Supreme Court via specific Congressional action while politically maneuvering the Democrats into a position that makes opposition near impossible.