Tales on an Inauguration Day

A Tale of Two Citis

By Daniel Politi

Posted Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009, at 7:03 AM ET

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 Qathani," 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 fund-raising, 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 foregoing 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."

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Daniel Politi writes "Today's Papers" for Slate. He can be reached at todayspapers@slate.com.



"Ποταμοῖς τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐμβαίνομέν τε καὶ οὐκ ἐμβαίνομεν, εἶμέν τε καὶ οὐκ εἶμεν."

"We both step and do not step in the same rivers. We are and are not."
Heraclitus the Riddler