Hotline After Dark -- Tribunal Politics

Most of the political talk last night focused on the military tribunal debate:

MSNBC's Shuster: "The president, ironically, is getting the focus that he wants on Capitol Hill and that is a discussion about terror as opposed to any discussion about Iraq. But what he has now is that the debate is not going his way" ("Hardball," 9/14).

FNC's Baier: "Asked about the possible political damage of this Republican divide, [WH spokesperson Tony] Snow simply said this isn't a shootout in the OK Corral, it's not a crisis, it's how laws are written" ("Special Report," 9/14).

CNN's Bash: "An internal party struggle over national security is the last thing any Republican wants, especially less than two months before an election where that is their top issue. But, in this case ... both sides say that it's a matter of principle, and both sides say they're right" ("PZ Now," 9/14).

FNC's Garrett: "The Democrats eagerly stood with rebellious Republicans, demanding Congress guarantee GITMO detainees' human rights protections outlined in the Geneva Convention and endorsed by the Supreme Court" ("Special Report," 9/14).

Congressional Quarterly's Craig Crawford: "This president has oddly, and this is one of the strangest things about this president, I've thought all along, that how he has just not really shown much interest at building personal relationships on Capitol Hill with his own party members. And that has led to a lot of these problems like we saw today, where they bolt, they buck on him. And that's something that I don't think he can change now, it's too late" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 9/14).

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was in the "Situation Room":

On the military tribunal legislation: "I think we see a compromise there so that we could prevent national security from being compromised, but yet still allow the defendant to be able to see some of the evidence against him. It's just not a normal procedure that someone who is subject to the death penalty is not allowed to see the evidence that's presented against him."

CNN's Blitzer: "As you know, you and Senator Warner and Senator Lindsey Graham, your version prevailed in the Senate Armed Services Committee. But you've got a long way to go in this process, a very different perspective in the House of Representatives. How much of a battle is there going to be?"

McCain: "I hope it's not a battle at all. I hope that we can sit down and resolve our differences. That would be the best way to resolve it. But I think you're going to find that there are many, many military personnel that would be deeply concerned about amending the Geneva Conventions, and that we could use a different approach and provide the same protections to our men and women who are engaged in interrogation activities."

Blitzer: "How concerned are you that three powerful Republican senators, you, being John McCain, Lindsey Graham, John Warner, that some Republicans might say you're giving aid and comfort to Democrats during this very, very bitter political season less than eight weeks before an election?"

McCain: "Well, first of all, there are other Republicans that agree with us, and there's many other people around the country like General Colin Powell who agrees with us. This should have nothing to do with politics, nothing. This is about the lives of American men and women who are serving our country. I believe that we can work out our differences, and I will bend every effort to do so. It's very important. Not because we have an election coming up, but because we have men and women who are serving in the military who need every protection we can provide them with" (CNN, 9/14).

Senate Maj. Leader Bill Frist was on "NewsHour":

On the military tribunal legislation: "We had the product that came out of the Armed Services Committee today. There are several very contentious issues in that bill that clearly the president will not agree with, and I think the majority of Republican senators, anyway, will not agree with. So not until we get to the floor will we know what the final product will be coming out of the United States Senate."

More: "The president clearly defines what Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention means, and that way an interrogator will know how far they can go, what they can do, what does degrading treatment mean. Well, the McCain approach or the Armed Services Committee approach leaves that very, very vague. ... So what the president says is, no, we better define that very specifically. And that is a fundamental difference. And I, again, strongly support the plan and proposal put forth by the president" (PBS, 9/14).

And Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) was in the "Situation Room," where he got the inevitable WH '08 question:

Obama: "If you'll look in my calendar over the next two months, I'm going to be traveling to every single state where there are contested races, where there's an opportunity for us either to win the House or the Senate. Now, it turns out that there are a couple of important House races in Iowa, there's an important governor's race in Iowa. For me to avoid Iowa simply because I'm worried about what reporters think, when it's right next door to my home state of Illinois, wouldn't make much sense."

CNN's Blitzer: "Can we hear that Shermanesque statement about 2008 -- are you ready to make that statement right now?"

Obama: "Wolf, I have given you more than enough to work with, at least for the next week" (CNN, 9/14). [EMILY GOODIN]