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RedditThe Times reports today that President Bush gave an order in July allowing US Special Forces "to carry out ground assaults inside Pakistan without the prior approval of the Pakistani government, according to senior American officials." They'll notify the Pakistani government, but won't ask permission.
Somewhat buried in the story is the report that "the Pakistani government had privately assented to the general concept of limited ground assaults by Special Operations forces against significant militant targets, but that it did not approve each mission." In other words, according to the Times, the Pakistani goverment is winking at the idea.
There could hardly be a worse strategy. It risks inflaming Pakistani public opinion against the United States and boost the religious parties. It will make the new Pakistani government look like pawns or puppets of the United States, which won't exactly make them popular among Pakistanis. And, of course, it won't be successful in eliminating Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Historians of the Vietnam war might compare the strategy to President Nixon's ill-fated decision to expand the war across the border into Cambodia in search of alleged Viet Cong "santuaries." That didn't work out well.
Perhaps some Pakistani officials, under intense US pressure, did "wink" at the idea. But from the public statements, at least, it appears that Islamabad isn't happy:
"Unilateral action by the American forces does not help the war against terror because it only enrages public opinion," said Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's ambassador to Washington, during a speech on Friday. "In this particular incident, nothing was gained by the action of the troops.""No external force is allowed to conduct operations inside Pakistan," the military chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, said in what amounted to a direct rebuff to the United States by the Pakistanis. "There is no question of any agreement or understanding with the coalition forces whereby they are allowed to conduct operations on our side of the border."
The prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, backed Kayani's statement -- even though General Kayani and Prime Minister Gilani are rivals.
Yesterday, testifying at a House committee, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs ("frankly, we are running out of time") pretty much confirmed the Times report:
The nation's top military officer issued a blunt assessment yesterday of the war in Afghanistan and called for an overhaul in U.S. strategy there, warning that thousands more U.S. troops as well as greater U.S. military involvement across the border in Pakistan's tribal areas are needed to battle an intensifying insurgency.
Mullen has been the point man in US efforts to put pressure on Pakistan to allow more aggressive American attacks directly into Pakistan, meeting repeatedly with Kayani and other officials to demand that Islamabad surrender its national sovereignty.
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Robert Dreyfuss
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Wasn't "he so stupid...he wants to invade Pakiston" a charge the Right made against...
Barack Obama?!??!?!?
Posted by Maskdelta at 09/11/2008 @ 08:58am
Funny, isn't it .. that in these last days of BushCo that suddenly Obama is used as a de facto policy advisor, and is still criticized by the Repugnuts that he has no expertise in this area?
Posted by leftofcenter at 09/11/2008 @ 09:06am
Posted by leftofcenter at 09/11/2008 @ 09:06am
If McCain wins, Obama will be a de facto policy advisor for Iraq.
McCain will "suddenly discover" that "conditions on the ground have greatly improved"...and announce a 16 month timetable for withdrawaal...
in the EXACT same manner and the EXACT same calender as a "President Obama" would.
Then, he'll put more troops into Afghanistan....EXACTLY as Obama has said he would.
And all of those policies were mocked by the Right AND by McCain...just weeks ago!
Posted by Maskdelta at 09/11/2008 @ 09:11am
The plot thickens.
What would Obama do?
The importance of an American protest movement has never been greater.
"YES WE CAN........GET OUT of Iraq and Afghanistan!"
Come on, everybody, say it loud and say it proud.
Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 09:14am
This, "MaskDelta," is the pitfall for all those who would pose as hawks: Eventually, you have to carry out one of those threats that you habitually make, and when you do, this may be a very ill-considered move.
Barack Obama does risk something when he talks about how we've "ignored" Pakistan. He may imagine that this kind of talk merely makes him look tough, but there may someday be a cost to it.
The toughest thing any politician can do now is speak the truth. The greatest truth about our armed forces today is that they are over-stretched. This truth is strong because nobody with any knowledge disputes it. But to fail to tell it merely strengthens the hawks.
Naomi Klein made the point well in her recent article in the NATION. Where the truth has not been boldly planted, lies spring up like weeds.
Posted by JakobFabian at 09/11/2008 @ 09:18am
To eliminate the Taliban, the US will have to eliminate a significant portion of the Afghan people, as well as many Pakistanis in the territories.
From '65-75, we eliminated over 2 million Indochinese.
Good idea?
Then?
Now?
Posted by sloper at 09/11/2008 @ 09:21am
This truth is strong because nobody with any knowledge disputes it.
Posted by JakobFabian at 09/11/2008 @ 09:18am
PALIN/PALIN '08
Fuck Mccain, America Needs an Empress!
§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§
FACT - TRUTH '08
Tell Your Neighbours.
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 09:25am
entering pakistan is just not a good idea.
the politicians are the politicians....
but the people, the lay people will get really pissed off.
when i lived in méxico, a recurrent source of anger amongst the populace was stories of DEA dudes carrying weapons entering méxico without permission for either.
a that's just a few dudes.
and mexicans are neighbours.
you want peace?
set a good example and stop squishing people.
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 09:29am
I've not been much of a fan of Roger Cohen in the past, but I'm posting here what is an excellent piece from today's NY Times:
And in the seventh year after the fall, the dust and debris of the towers cleared. And it became plain at last what had been wrought.
For the wreckage begat greed; and it came to pass that while America's young men and women fought, other Americans enriched themselves. Beguiling the innocent, they did backdate options, and they did package toxic mortgage securities and they did reprice risk on the basis that it no more existed than famine in a fertile land.
Thereby did the masters of the universe prosper, with gold, with silver shekels, with land rich in cattle and fowl, with illegal manservants and maids, with jewels and silk, and with Gulfstream V business jets; yet the whole land did not prosper with them. And it came to pass, when the housing bubble burst, that Main Street had to pay for the Wall Street party.
For Bush ruled over the whole nation and so sure was he of his righteousness that he did neglect husbandry.
And he took his nation into desert wars and mountain wars, but, lo, he thought not to impose taxation, not one heifer nor sheep nor ox did Bush demand of the rich. And it came to pass that the nation fell into debt as boundless as the wickedness of Sodom. For everyone, Lehman not least, was maxed out.
So heavy was the burden of war, and of bailing out Fannie and Freddie, and of financing debt with China, that not one silver shekel remained to build bridges, nor airports, nor high-speed trains, nor even to take care of wounded vets; and the warriors returning unto their homes from distant combat thought a blight had fallen on the land.
Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 09:34am
So it was in the seventh year after the fall of the towers. And still Bush did raise his hands to the Lord and proclaim: "I will be proved right in the end!"
And around the whole earth, which had stood with America, there arose a great trouble, for it seemed to peoples abroad that a great nation, rich in flocks and herds and land and water, had been cast among thorns and Philistines; its promise betrayed, its light dimmed, its armies stretched, its budget broken, its principles compromised, its dollar diminished.
And it came to pass that this profligate nation, drinking oil with insatiable thirst, could not cure itself of this addiction, and so its wealth was transferred to other nations that did not always wish it well.
Wherefore the balance of power in the world was altered in grievous ways, and new centers of authority arose, and they were no more persuaded by democracy than was the Pharaoh.
For Bush ruled over the whole nation, and so sure was he of his righteousness that he did neglect the costs of wanton consumption. And he believed that if the Lord created fossil fuel, fossil fuel must flow without end, as surely as the grape will yield wine.
Therefore, in the seventh year after the fall, with 1,126 of the slain still unidentified, their very beings rendered unto dust, their souls inhabiting the air of New York, it seemed that one nation had become two; and loss, far from unifying the people, had sundered the nation.
For the rich, granted tax breaks more generous than any blessing, grew richer, and incomes in the middle ceased to rise, and workers saw jobs leaving the land for that region called Asia. And some fought wars while others shopped; and some got foreclosed while others got clothes. And still Bush spake but few listened.
Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 09:34am
Behold, so it was in the seventh year, and it seemed that America was doubly smitten, from without and within.
And, lo, a strange thing did come to pass. For as surely as the seasons do alternate, so the ruler and party that have brought woe to a nation must give way to others who can lead their people to plenty. How can the weary, flogged ass bear honey and balm and almonds and myrrh?
Yet many Americans believed the exhausted beast could still provide bounty. They did hold that a people called the French was to blame. They did accuse a creation called the United Nations. They did curse the ungodly sophisticates of Gotham and Hollywood and sinful Chicago; and, lo, they proclaimed God was on their side, and carried a gun, and Darwin was bunk, and truth resided in Alaska.
For Bush ruled over the whole nation and so sure was he of his righteousness that he did foster division until it raged like a plague. Each tribe sent pestilence on the other.
And in the seventh year after the fall, the dust and debris of the towers cleared. And it became plain at last what had been wrought -- but not how the damage would be undone.
Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 09:34am
Amen.
Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 09:34am
How do we even begin to undo the damage done?
The answer is only one.
Impeach the son.
(It's never too late to seek justice......and restore the Constitution)
Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 09:48am
Perhaps we as Americans, on this, the seventh anniversary of September 11th, 2001, should ruminate on the wisdom of staying out of others' sovereign business.
Posted by jorcheim at 09/11/2008 @ 09:51am
thanks for that, bee cooler.
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 09:53am
It's been over an hour and not one right wing nut job.
The seventh anniversary has been a success already.
Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 09:53am
Perhaps we as Americans, on this, the seventh anniversary of September 11th, 2001, should ruminate on the wisdom of staying out of others' sovereign business.
Posted by jorcheim at 09/11/2008 @ 09:51am
you hate america as much as the terrorists.
i know it's a serious moment; i just get so frustrated by the blindness of some.
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 09:55am
Your most welcome, crystalline one.
Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 09:55am
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 09:25am
Not far from the mark, FROSTY....
Darin/MARYBRET has already said that his "best scenario" is for McCain to die in office so that His Gal can become President!
Poor ol' Maverick, the Hard Right didn't like him before...now they want him DEAD!
Posted by Maskdelta at 09/11/2008 @ 09:55am
Posted by jorcheim at 09/11/2008 @ 09:51am
Anyone who has actually watched the full Jeremiah Wright piece knows that this is what he was talking about .... its easy to spin sound-bite
Posted by leftofcenter at 09/11/2008 @ 09:56am
What is the general outline for living in Canada vis-a-vis citizenship and/or temporary stays?
Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 01:49am
uh, sorry.
no room at the inn.
try méxico. the food's better anyways.
:+)
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 10:00am
LEFTOFCENTER:
Precisely. My prayers are for wisdom.
I listened to the Wright recordings extensively, and nowhere did I hear anything with which I disagreed. Were some of his comments impertinent? Perhaps. But he was right. And that is the most important piece to realize.
Posted by jorcheim at 09/11/2008 @ 10:02am
"no room at the inn.
try méxico. the food's better anyways."
~frosty zoom
I kinda figured as much.
If it comes down to it, I think an exodus to another continent might be a good choice.
You might even consider a move to Iceland yourself, fz.
Canada is a prime candidate for first recipient of an American fascist bear hug.
Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 10:08am
Cheney was right on Iraq ... (he was against it before he was for it)
a must see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YENbElb5-xY
he even calls it a quagmire ... why didn't this show up in 2004?
Posted by leftofcenter at 09/11/2008 @ 10:09am
leftofcenter
when i saw this nonsense going down,
i thought "holy fuck", humans sure are messed up and i prayed for the families of those poor souls......
and then i thought "holy fuck", in reaction to this they are going to flatten at least a couple of countries......
and then i thought "holy fuck", millions of innocents will die to avenge the death of innocents......
and then i thought "what goes around, comes around".
and no, i don't hate america. and i don't hate freedom.
i love both very, very much.
WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT, THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, THAT THEY ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR WITH CERTAIN UNALIENABLE RIGHTS, THAT AMONG THESE ARE LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.
i mean c'mon. it don't get much better than that.
ALL MEN
(YOU TOO, LADIES. NO WORRIES)
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 10:10am
And that is the most important piece to realize.
Posted by jorcheim at 09/11/2008 @ 10:02am
alas......
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 10:10am
Haven't seen much of Jorcheim these days.
Good to see you're back.
:D
Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 10:11am
B_KOOL_66:
Sweden... it's all about Sweden... or perhaps New Zealand, although they have been participants in Project Echelon since its inception.
Posted by jorcheim at 09/11/2008 @ 10:12am
this is nice.
it's like a party after the host's bratty kids have gone to bed.
"sssshhhhhhhhh,
you'll wake pastor larry."
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 10:12am
Canada is a prime candidate for first recipient of an American fascist bear hug.
Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 10:08am
water you talking about?
oil's well that ends well.......
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 10:13am
Sweden... it's all about Sweden... or perhaps New Zealand, although they have been participants in Project Echelon since its inception.
Posted by jorcheim at 09/11/2008 @ 10:12am
if the fan is really shitted,
a place like guyana or senegal would be better.
grow some cassava and beans, have a hut.
i mean, if you're happy.......
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 10:15am
Funny, I've thought about EXACTLY those two countries myself, Jorcheim.
But I haven't thought too seriously thus far.
I'd wager that the activity of those exploring their options will virtually explode if we actually get shafted with the McCain/Bitch ticket in November.
Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 10:16am
B_KOOL_66:
Thanks for having me back. I'm just reliving that morning watching the news.
It's amazing how much I learn reliving it again.
Posted by jorcheim at 09/11/2008 @ 10:19am
B_KOOL_66:
In all honesty, and I know I may get dogpiled for this... I have considered that having McCain/Palin win in November may not be so bad, in the long run. Basically for the same reason I believed that to be so for a Bush second term... essentially, I still don't believe the middle class has been squeezed quite enough to cause them to wake up. I fear we need this mortgage debacle to completely run its course and cause the entire world economy to go pear-shaped in order to inject some reality into the minds of the body politic.
Posted by jorcheim at 09/11/2008 @ 10:23am
FROSTY ZOOM:
Why do you think I have begun researching earthships in earnest?
Posted by jorcheim at 09/11/2008 @ 10:24am
I'd wager that the activity of those exploring their options will virtually explode if we actually get shafted with the McCain/Bitch ticket in November.-------Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 10:16am
Actually, I'm gradually starting to drift to the view that....though he'll be bad, if McCain wins, it won't be a total disaster.
First, he's not stupid. He knows that if he truly continues Bush'ism, he'll end up with the SAME approval numbers by 2012.
Second, he's an egomaniac, who wants to secure his "place in history" regardless of the political implications. This means that if he can be remembered as "winning in Iraq" (aka an Obama Plan withdrawal by 2010-2011 latest))...
"reducing the deficit" (aka letting the Bush cuts lapse, with a lot of grimacing and "Shame! Shame!" but SECRETLY smiling that it'll close the deficit....
nominating sane "Souter" judges, so as to not make himself "the guy who destroyed Roe" (and again suffer a huge drop in approval)...
and actually pushing for smart spending...
he walks out of office in 2012 (maybe 2016, but not sure on the health thing) as a "hero" and TO HELL with the Hard Right, who attacked him in 2000 and still didn't like him until he picked Palin....
and also getting in a little dig on Dubya, by "cleaning up his mess" (again, remembering the 2000 S.C. smears).
Do I WANT McCain to win?...absolutely not. Too much risk. And a risk that Caribou Barbie is one clogged artery away from The Button.
But not exactly sure it will be "Dubya-II" the sequel...and not "Bush-41!!!!" the sequel. He's already made his "kinder, gentler" acceptance speech...and already picked his "Dan Quayle" Veep.
Posted by Maskdelta at 09/11/2008 @ 10:25am
I haven't bothered to flip on the tv yet myself.
I did notice that a favorite website of mine, Tom Feeley's Information Clearinghouse, has a video posted entitled, "9/11 The Falling Man".
It's just over an hour in length and investigates the identity of the dude in the iconic image that basically disappeared from our tv screens --the head down falling man.
I plan on viewing it today sometime.
www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17405.htm
Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 10:26am
I fear we need this mortgage debacle to completely run its course and cause the entire world economy to go pear-shaped in order to inject some reality into the minds of the body politic.
Posted by jorcheim
The thought has crossed my mind as well.
How bad must conditions get to awaken a country full of apathetic drones?
I don't have an answer myself, but I suspect we'll all be witness to the answer.
Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 10:30am
Ya know .. I do see Jor's sentiment. Dunno how much more crap I can stand from GOP admins myself, but I understand it will take a pretty hard slap to wake the NASCAR crowd out of their beer-swilling stupor and see that their freedom's have disappeared and those they put in power have been picking their pocket for a decade .. and all they have is bread and circuses to show for it.
Posted by leftofcenter at 09/11/2008 @ 10:30am
Posted by jorcheim at 09/11/2008 @ 10:23am
no way, dude!
more pain, more gain. nonsense.
tell your neighbours, tell your friends.
i'd rather fill sandbags than spend years cleaning out the mud from my living room.
FACTS - TRUTH '08
Fuck Lies.
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 10:30am
Bush has 4 more months...
You'd better start worrying about what Obama's gonna do concerning Iran and Pakistan..
It seems some hawks have his ear of late..
OR... Is it OK if the US kills people as long as it's ordered by a democrat??
Posted by bleedingheart at 09/11/2008 @ 10:32am
c'mon guys,
don't give up.
i've got a son.......
please.
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 10:33am
bleedingheart
go away.
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 10:33am
"Do I WANT McCain to win?...absolutely not. Too much risk. And a risk that Caribou Barbie is one clogged artery away from The Button."
Not to mention Queen Nancy only two clogged arteries away from the Button. Eeek!
Posted by State17 at 09/11/2008 @ 10:37am
I fear I may have misspoken above.
Re-issue:
I'd wager that the activity of those exploring their options will virtually explode if we actually get shafted with the PALIN/BITCH ticket in November.
Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 10:37am
Caribou Barbie? That made me guffaw... thanks for that.
Posted by jorcheim at 09/11/2008 @ 10:41am
OFF TOPIC
ChimpCo continues to restore credibility and integrity to government:
[The two-year, $5.3 million investigation by Interior's inspector general found workers at the Minerals Management Service's royalty collection office in Denver partying, having sex, using drugs and accepting gifts and ski trips and golf outings from energy company representatives with whom they did government business.
The investigations exposed "a culture of ethical failure" and an agency rife with conflicts of interest, Inspector General Earl E. Devaney said.
Between 2002 and 2006, 19 oil marketers -- nearly a third of the Denver office staff -- received gifts and gratuities from oil and gas companies, including Chevron Corp., Shell, Hess Corp. and Denver-based Gary-Williams Energy Corp., the investigators found.
"Employees frequently consumed alcohol at industry functions, had used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relationships with oil and natural gas company representatives" who referred to some of the government workers as the "MMS Chicks."]
Did Neil Bush have anything to do with MMS Chicks?
Posted by crabwalk at 09/11/2008 @ 10:47am
What we need is a lipsitck wearin' Pitbull with experience with drugs and sexual promiscuity....
to free us from the culture of corruption in DC. A culture led by.....(insert answer here conservative republicans. Think hard, it's a trick question)
Posted by crabwalk at 09/11/2008 @ 10:51am
Palins Platform
"I may be broke, but I'm not flat busted!"
Grade "A" VP material
Posted by crabwalk at 09/11/2008 @ 10:57am
What is Sarah Palins view on the Pakistani/Afghan border issue?
i have asked the cons at least 6 times to explain some of Palins views on international and domestic issues. So far we have "sexism by Obama", "moosburgers", "Family Values are off limits", "she STOPPED the Bridge (outright lie)" and other obfuscations.
Not one of the cons here has been able to answer simple questions about what THEY know about Sarah Palins views on issues that will affect her in her position as Vice President. But, they know they LOVE her!!
Then they call us Kool-aid drinkers. Is anybody getting this down?
Posted by crabwalk at 09/11/2008 @ 11:12am
"....But, they know they LOVE her!!
Then they call us Kool-aid drinkers. Is anybody getting this down?"
~crabwalk
Sadly, most of us just kinda tune it out after awhile.
How long can anyone stare at a mangled, badly bleeding accident victim?
Staring too long at the ever present and phantasmagorically grotesque right wing in America is an exercise fit only for those with iron stomachs.
But if we don't keep at least one eye open we're all likely to end up in it's slow-witted, bloody clutches.
Unfortunately, The Night of the Living Dead has only just begun.
Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 11:27am
Public Knowledge of Current Affairs Little Changed by News and Information Revolutions
What Americans Know: 1989-2007
Eight people out of the 1,502 respondents answered all 23 questions correctly. At the other end of the spectrum, five people failed to answer a single question correctly. The average respondent got about 12 of the 23 questions right, or slightly more than half. 10 percent answered 20 or more questions accurately - and 5% got more than 20 questions wrong or said they did not know the answer.
Using a common school grading scale in which 90% correct is the minimum necessary to receive an A, 80% for a B, 70% for a C, 60% for a D and less than 60% is a failing grade, Americans did not fare too well. Fully half would have failed, while only about one-in-six would have earned an A or B.
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 11:28am
Posted by SoHAPPY at 09/11/2008 @ 12:18pm
Speaking of "Messiahs", HAPP....
how do you think YOURS is going to do with Charlie Gibson, if he asks her "If you opposed the Bridge to Nowhere, why did you KEEP the MONEY for it, Governor?"
Posted by Maskdelta at 09/11/2008 @ 12:26pm
The absence of evidence as evidence ... hmmmm, interesting. As long as nothing happens everything is fine, and when/if it does it'll be .. well we tried really hard.
Why is it then that all objective sources say we are less safe?
Posted by leftofcenter at 09/11/2008 @ 12:27pm
Oh well.
We made it to 12:18 pm and then Happy the clown shows up to break the seal --"bleedingheart" doesn't count in my book.
Cue the big-top music.
It was enjoyable while it lasted.
Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 12:31pm
The peace that is.
Posted by b_kool_66 at 09/11/2008 @ 12:31pm
In all honesty, and I know I may get dogpiled for this... I have considered that having McCain/Palin win in November may not be so bad, in the long run."
scorched earth politics.
Posted by emile duBois at 09/11/2008 @ 12:41pm
Posted by emile duBois at 09/11/2008 @ 12:41pm
JOHANNES, my point was not that it will be good....nor a disaster that allows for a HUGE revival of the Democratic Party in 2010-2012....but that McCain, pragmatic and SELF-interested, may sell out his "Palaniacs"....which would be good.
Again, your ROLFian logic is bizarre.
Posted by Maskdelta at 09/11/2008 @ 12:49pm
The political situation in Pakistan is too delicate for these types of operations, and we don't have the forces to cover any unforeseen consequences. Overtime the Taliban and al-Qaeda will go too far within Pakistan, as al-Qaeda did in Iraq, and facilitate more cooperation with Pakistan. At the moment, the Afghan and Pakistani government seem to be cooperating, and we need to, if possible, concentrate on building a stronger Afghan Army. While not advocating an invasion of Pakistan, I do believe we need to increase our forces in Afghanistan in order to reduce our dependence on firepower and improve security within the country. Ideally, we should be working with Iran and other interested parties in the region. The Iranians are good trainers and could be useful. I am less interested in NATO, and more in local resources.
Posted by P. J. Casey at 09/11/2008 @ 1:36pm
how do you think YOURS is going to do with Charlie Gibson, if he asks her "If you opposed the Bridge to Nowhere, why did you KEEP the MONEY for it, Governor?"
Posted by Maskdelta at 09/11/2008 @ 12:26pm
i'll give you 17,657,435 to 1 that no tough questions come up.
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 2:27pm
In the meantime, where do we send the funds for those of you looking to exit our great country?
Posted by lvliberty1 at 09/11/2008 @ 1:59pm
actually,
you "borrow" them from china and then send them to fort bragg.
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 2:29pm
Occupying Afghanistan is a distraction from getting Bin Laden. Police action and a trial are what is needed. Obama, unfortunately, still believes, like McCain, in occupying Afghanistan and seeing the Taliban/Pashtun as the enemy.
These things are not lost on voters. When McCain/Obama actually sound the same, you may forgive them for not caring who wins. I myself am eyeing Canada. I am already a citizen, and I hear they need people to work. They might have fewer effects to global warming, except for the disaster unfolding in the Arctic. A loss by the Democratic Party will only prove, again, that they are not a populist or truly progressive organization - and never will be.
Posted by ElyDog at 09/11/2008 @ 2:41pm
I myself am eyeing Canada.
well, you might want to eye the upcoming election, then.
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 3:17pm
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 2:27pm
No, Gibson has taken a thrashing over the debates...he'll need to redeem himself and accept the INEVITBLE slings and arrows from the Right.
(Anything more than "Governor, how are you?" and HAPP, Darin, LVLIB, et al will say "Gibson is far left liberal with an agenda who obviously hates women!!!!!")
I figure he'll stick to the real meat & potatoes questions...like Palin's ACCEPTANCE of the money from the "Bridge to Nowhere" (desptie saying she opposed it)....or why she wanted rape victims to pay for their own rape kits in Wasilla....or even "Why if you're a fiscal conservative, did Wasilla go from being in the black to MILLIONS in debt, under your mayoralty?"
He's got to know he'll get attacked by the Repubs ANYWAY....so why not atleast keep his friends in journalism by not being Barbara Walters with the woman.
Posted by Maskdelta at 09/11/2008 @ 3:48pm
PALIN MAKES FIRST SERIOUS MISTAKE IN GIBSON INTERVIEW
In her interview today, Palin said RUSSIA WAS NOT PROVOKED BY GEORGIA INVADING SOUTH OSSETIA, when the facts show clearly the oppositE.
Palin also said SHE WOULD ATTACK RUSSIA IF IT INVADED ANOTHER COUNTRY, when we all know our troops are already stretched to the max in Iraq and Afghanistan.
PALIN IS CLEARLY NOT READY TO BE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF
Posted by Metteyya at 09/11/2008 @ 6:51pm
Posted by lvliberty1 at 09/11/2008 @ 7:35pm
South Ossetia was a "disputed territory" and Russia peacekeeping troops were there at the behest of the UN Security Council.
To ignore this fact, and the fact that these troops were attacked by Georgia in a provocation of Russia means you do not have command of sufficient facts to be Commander-in-Chief.
And what dangerous and reckless individual would attack Russia in our current state with our troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan? How would you manage to pull off such a military mission President Palin without troops?
The woman is an IDIOT!
Posted by Metteyya at 09/11/2008 @ 8:14pm
The woman is an IDIOT!
Posted by Metteyya at 09/11/2008 @ 8:14pm
the perfect candidate.
Posted by frosty zoom at 09/11/2008 @ 11:06pm
South Ossetia was not disputed territory. It was a part of Georgia that was in rebellion and that had seen the ethnic cleansing of those Georgians who had been living there.
Further, any peacekeeping mandate Russia had certainly did not include the creeping annexation that Russia had been engaging in by issuing Russian passports to South Ossetians.
Although Sakashvili's attack was unwise, the Russian response was disproportionate and the recognition of South Ossetian independence unjustified.
Posted by brunowe at 09/12/2008 @ 04:20am
South Ossetia was not disputed territory. It was a part of Georgia that was in rebellion and that had seen the ethnic cleansing of those Georgians who had been living there.
kind of like the american colonies, huh?
it was the Georgians who sent troops there, it is they who fired the first shot.
Russia was sending a signal to the US and NATO.
I think we are better off making friends with Russia than with Georgia.
Posted by emile duBois at 09/12/2008 @ 08:59am
Comment has been made that the Pakistani government has privately consented to the use opf USZ troops, but today there is a report that the Pakistani Army has been given orders to retaliate against any unilateral strike by the Afghanistan-based US troops inside the country
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=69186§ionid=351020401
Can anyone confirm this?
If true, this is indeed an expansion of the war for political purposes to neutralise Obama's correct claim that we have neglected Pakistan at the expense of Iraq.This is becoming a nightmare, and we have an October "surprise" still to contend with (Iran? False flag?).
Posted by mystic at 09/12/2008 @ 5:49pm
"Although Sakashvili's attack was unwise, the Russian response was disproportionate.." Since when is there an international agreement that any country (in this case Russia) is allowed to launch a defense but only proportionately? Pullease!! So howcome there was no outcry with Israel's decimation of Lebanon's entire infrastructure including hospitals, over the kidnapping of two soldiers? Saakashvili foolishly launched a genocidal attack on South Ossetia because it had been "promised" support from the US and Israel. A promise is a promise? How naive and stupid. He deservedly incurred the full wrath of Russia.
Posted by mystic at 09/12/2008 @ 7:46pm