“After forcing Egypt’s top brass to retire in an unexpected power play and issuing a decree to consolidate presidential authority, President Mohammed Morsi on Sunday said the moves were made with the nation’s best interest in mind,” reports the Times of Israel. “‘Today’s decisions are not directed at certain persons or meant to embarrass certain institutions. … I only had in mind the interest of this nation and its people,’ he said in a televised speech. ‘I want (the armed forces) to dedicate themselves to a mission that is holy to all of us and that is the defense of the nation.’ Earlier Sunday, Morsi fired Defense Minister Mohammed Hussein Tantawi and Chief of Staff Sami Anan, forcing them into retirement, and canceled the military-declared constitutional amendments that gave top generals wide powers, Egyptian state TV reported….”
