This man makes my blood boil with his total ineptitude. A dictator we back cracks down on dissent and the response from the world’s leader?
“Frankly, it ain’t easy,” one official said. “We are looking at our options, and none of them are good.”
The United States has pushed for Musharraf to shed his army uniform and hold elections by January. And it repeatedly has told him that his cooperation in the war on terror is not a replacement for democratic reforms.
I understand your point, Oliver, but some things to consider. If Pakistan does vote, it will likely cede significant control to radical Islamic elements. Why is this? Because we’ve empowered them by our stupidity and hubris. I have no idea whether the crackdown will reign in these elements, but I do know that sometimes we don’t want a democracy.
So we want democracy except when the democracy doesn’t agree with us? Please.
Musharraf, like Putin, is another guy that Bush looked into his eyes and saw that his soul was good.
Chalk up character judgment as one more thing Bush is astonishingly inept at.
So we want democracy except when the democracy doesn’t agree with us?
Uh, yeah. Haven’t you been paying attention?
This pakistani democratic government comes to us via $7 billion of our tax dollars. Money well spent???
It’s far more likely that radical elements in Pakistan will gain power through civil unrest than through elections. In this way, Musharraf is playing the same stupid game that has been a trademark of Bushco, namely legitimizing extremist groups by exercising excessive force. It also should be pointed out that Musharraf is going after dissidents and even the courts, who were coincidentally set to rule on whether he could remain as head of the military while also running the country.
Make no mistake, this is about retaining power, not preserving any illusion of democracy.
Yo, give Bunnypants some credit. At least he knows Musharraf’s name now.
Duder said:
Yo, give Bunnypants some credit. At least he knows Musharraf’s name now.
Yes, but can he pronounce it properly yet?
Whistling through the graveyard…interesting comparison. Can anyone suggest a more apt analogy for the Bushco foreign policy? Until recently, Bush reminded me of Danny Kaye’s story of the King’s New Clothes.
Yeah, he loves freedom, George does. Bet he’s jealous as hell – arresting journalists, lawyers, shutting down bloggers? Better tell Laura that Big and Little George gonna want to get to know her better pretty soon….
Musharraf working to restore stability and democracy? No.
Looks like Bush may start WWIII after all, just not with Iran.
Keep in mind that these videos have, between them, about 1,600 views while the Chris Crocker “Leave Britney Alone!” video, in all its incarnations, is close to 20 MILLION. Idiocracy in action.
It’s impossible to overstate the damage Bush has done to this country and the peril he has left us all facing. Putting aside the Iraq debacle, had he simply concentrated on finishing the job in Afghanistan rather than cynically waving our initial military success (as with Iraq) before the cameras as evidence of his genius and virtue, we would not be facing the crisis in Pakistan currently unfolding. Instead he allowed al Qaeda to regroup and the Taliban to grow and re-establish itself in both Afghanistan and Pakistan to the point where they are vastly more dangerous than they were just five years ago. Of course, the GOP and their corporate allies have profited handsomely, both in terms of wealth and power, from keeping this threat alive, though I have to think they believed they could simply swagger about and do as they pleased without consequence, so Musharraf’s deteriorating standing has to worry them quite a bit.
BTW, where are all the wingnut cowards who blustered and fumed when it was pointed out months and months ago that Pakistan, not Iraq or Iran, was and continues to be, the center of unrest in the Mid East and is without question the fastest growing potential threat to U.S. security?
That’s a rhetorical question, of course. Wingers love to fling sh*t but always disappear when it hits the fan.