Taliban Approaching Islamabad

The Taliban have extended their reach beyond the Swat Valley towards Islamabad.

Comments

[clarice]

Well Pakistan better keep cooperating with us or else--remember Obama's campaign promise.
Is this better than the greatest thrill ride or what? The world skittering on the brink of disaster with a fractured nuclear equipped Pakistan and a soon to be so equipped Iran; a worldwide economic disaster and the head of the biggest country in the free w9rod is an MTC star wannabe fruitcake with no executive experience or apparent common sense at all................HALP

[clarice]

**world**

[verner]

Geez I miss Cheney. I'm sure whatever covert plan they had to disable Pak nukes has already been trashed by the boob in chief.

If Muslim fascists get control, move that atomic clock up to 30 seconds before midnight. Who cares about Iran at that point.

And just think, the CIA has been castrated just in time for the A Q Kahn network to be re-activated, with all the dirty little nukes flowing into the hands of what's left of A-Q.

Good Job Barry! Boy do I feel safer!

[Daddy]

Aren't we glad though that Musharraf is gone and all because just think of all the moral capital that won the Paki's. Just like the moral capital we're winning in Cuba and Venezuela and Iran and Russia and Saudi Arabia and who knows where else.

[bad]

I wish I wanted to drink..... I could use one about now.

[Rick Ballard]

Verner,

It would be entertaining to see India take out the Pak threat in the same week that Israel breaks all of Iran's toys.

I don't see why either India or Israel should pay any attention to the buffoon in the infant seat with the little steering wheel attached.

[verner]

We might be a nuclear wasteland in 6 months, but hey! We'll be able to hold our heads up high!

Read your history BO. Being a "nice guy" is not a foreign policy.

[Danube of Thought]

Look, we're going to turn our attention to this as soon as we finish with the guys who wrote the "torture memos." Right now the Taliban are a distraction.

[verner]

Don't rule that out Rick. Indeed, they may be having a few little covert talks with Bebe--Hillary out of the loop natch-- for all we know, especially after Mumbai.

I think I would be. Seeing the US president bow to the Saudi King is not a very encouraging sign that he would back India up in a hot war.

Pakistan has a population of 178,000,000--India one billion.

Why wait if you know the jihadifreaks are going to attack you anyway?

[verner]

Ya know, when Biden said Barry was going to be "tested", he wasn't shi....g us, was he.

[hit and run]

DoT:
Look, we're going to turn our attention to this as soon as we finish with the guys who wrote the "torture memos." Right now the Taliban are a distraction.

We're going wait to turn our attention to this as late as we possibly can while still being able to blame Bush for it. If that's tomorrow, so be it -- if that's six months from now, better -- but if that's 12 months from now, according to our internal polls, then we're in good shape -- if I can sleepwalk this whole thing, then hot damn.
--President Obama

[verner]

Here's the WIKI on India's military. Notice Israel is mentioned.:

ndia maintains the third-largest military force in the world, which consists of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force [9] and auxiliary forces such as the Paramilitary Forces, the Coast Guard, and the Strategic Forces Command. The President of India is the supreme commander of the Indian armed forces. India maintains close defence cooperation with Russia, Israel and France, who are the chief suppliers of arms. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) oversees indigenous development of sophisticated arms and military equipment, including ballistic missiles, fighter aircraft and main battle tanks, to reduce India's dependence on foreign imports. India became a nuclear power in 1974 after conducting an initial nuclear test, Operation Smiling Buddha and further underground testing in 1998. India maintains a "no first use" nuclear policy.[69] On 10 October, 2008 Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement was signed, prior to which India received IAEA and NSG waivers, ending restrictions on nuclear technology commerce with which India became de facto sixth nuclear power in world.[70]

[JM Hanes]

Meanwhile, back in Congress:

Clinton called on Pakistanis, Pakistani-Americans and others in the diaspora to "speak out forcefully" in an effort to change the attitudes of the Pakistani government.

She complains about insufficient outrage in Pakistan, and manages to outrage Pakistan's ambassador. Way to go Mme. Secretary! This is potentially earth shattering stuff, and I think we may end up paying dearly for Obama's crisscrossing (dis)organizational chart.

[JM Hanes]

You know, I was expecting disasters, but if anyone had predicted the nightmare scenario -- economically, politically, and interationally -- that we're looking at a bare 3 months into the Obama presidency, I simply would not have believed them.

[clarice]

Me neither. And what's worse is I am not sure yet that the country appreciates what is going on.

[bad]

WSJ: LUN

Mark down the date. Tuesday, April 21, 2009, is the moment that any chance of a new era of bipartisan respect in Washington ended. By inviting the prosecution of Bush officials for their antiterror legal advice, President Obama has injected a poison into our politics that he and the country will live to regret.

Speaking of distractions...

[verner]

Note to Hillary. In History, the weak and friendly have always gotten the most people killed.

And I'm trying to play mental Stratego to see how all this will pan out in my own little imaginary world.

If India and Pakistan have a nuclear exchange,you could easily end up with 600,000 people dead in a matter of hours, and a humanitarian disaster the likes of which we can not imagine.

The Hindu would likely take Rwanda style revenge on the 13% Muslim population. And there wouldn't be enough of Pakistan left to worry about.

Though I think that China and Russia would stay clear.

All too horrible to imagine. But when you're dealing with a bunch of religious fanatics, they might not think the cost too high.

As far as what the nuclear cloud will do to the rest of us, guess we'll find out.

So much for global warming.

[verner]

Excuse me, make that 600 million dead.

[verner]

From WSJ:Mr. Obama is more popular than his policies, due in part to his personal charm and his seeming goodwill. By indulging his party's desire to criminalize policy advice, he has unleashed furies that will haunt his Presidency

Yeah buddy.

[JM Hanes]

bad:

The Wall St. Journal is dead on the money. Mark this day down.

[bad]

JMH, what about the reset button? Can we push it now and have Bush and Cheney back?

Can we huh..please, please....

[JM Hanes]

It already seems like so long ago and far away, doesn't it bad?

[maryrose]

bad: You are so right about what is currently happening. I notice that all you hear is silence from Biden... he doesn't want to wade into this imbroglio. I did like the smackdown that Dana Rohrbacher administered to Hillary today after her snarky comment about Cheney. The truth Obama and the dems don"t want to face is that they are making us weaker by the day...

[bad]

Yeah it does, JMH, and I have this vague memory that Amused Bystander warned us of everything.

Who was that guy and where is he now?

[JM Hanes]

Hopefully working undercover on our behalf somewhere.

[bad]

Hey Maryrose, I liked seeing Hillary get reminded of her proper role as well.

Everything feels a bit lala right now...

[maryrose]

bad: I also want to hit the reset button . I'm appalled at how this presidency is proceeding. Tax cheats in charge of our money, partisan politics everyday and endless spending... We are in free fall for sure.

[bad]

Employees at the NYT are upset about executive bonus, but not equally mad at all recipients: LUN

One NY Times reporter described the empathy for Sulzberger and the antipathy toward Robinson as follows: "Arthur [and his family] own the paper, but no one expects him to be a businessman. Janet was hired to be the CEO, she should know [how to run the business]."

It's that kind of crackerjack thinking that makes the NYT a must read for TM. LOL

[rhymin' simon]

Obama has signed off on targated assassinations in Pakistan. Were not the individuals that were waterboarded at the level of being targeted. At that point they are dead men walking so why the outrage over waterboarding.

To paraphrase another obvious comment, it is a distraction or in the immortal words of Carville and Begala. Its the economy stupid. At the end of the day, most everyone lives in their own little university trying to survive. If they are employed and have bright horizons they are relatively content. If unemployment hits and stays at 10% the waterboarding is only a blodsport distraction.

It is almost like the military don't ask don't tell. Americans want to be safe and secure with a decent living. They are not much cncerned about what goes on in the background.As the saying used to go if it is not fit to print it is not news. The only reason this was news is that it was leaked to the New York Times to damage Bush and even Ignatius in The Washington Post says that Obama's recent action further crippled our intelligence if we had any. Its so comforting that The New York Times might soon be not fit to print.

[rhymin' simon]

There is an old joke that April first was called April Fools Day because Christmas was nine months later.
It seems Barry was told that Inaguration was moved to January 20 so that May Day would coincide with the end of the first 100 days. Hey after the fire Der Kommissar is in town.

[Daddy]

Verner,

This is simply anecdotal, so take it for what its worth, which is not much. Had a 3 day Layover in Mumbai (Bombay), the first anniversary of 9/11. My co-pilot was the son of Gujarati immigrants to America, very smart guy, completely bilingual, and very well educated. Some outrageous terror incident had happened somewhere in the country just prior to our arrival; (Muslim bombings, shootings etc,) so because of our discussions of Islamic violence and animus towards Pakistan, as we toured the city together on day 2, we made a point to ask each person we dealt with; the taxi driver, the waiter, the bartender, the merchant, the Concierge, the storekeeper etc, if they considered war with Pakistan likely, and if so, were they in favor of it or opposed to it.
I did not know what to expect. I don't speak any Hindi languages, so must trust what he told me as I sat there observing. Everyone of the dozen or so folks he asked throughout the day were in the affirmative thinking war was coming, and even more surprising, each was ready to bring it on. A female concierge at the Oberoi Hotel (targeted in the recent terrorism), spoke excellent English and very plainly told me the Indian population was simply sick of it, expected war to come, and were ready (her words) to "get it on." This truly surprised me, so much so that I sat down that night and hand wrote a letter about it to folks back home which I almost never do. We even toured Ghandi's Brownstone Apartment in Bombay that afternoon, the 20th Centuries greatest disciple of Peace, with posted copies of his letters to Hitler begging him in the late 1930's to please not provoke anything that would lead to misery or bloodshed. Yet not far away, (after lunch at Leopold's, the cafe shot to pieces in the recent Mumbai attacks) that message of pacifism was ignored by everyone we queried.
I throw this out there, not as an absolute fact of Indian's attitudes to Pakistan, but simply as the truth of what I saw during a 3 day visit there with a close friend who understood the language and the culture.
Knowing I was going there, I had been reading Will Durant's Story Of Civilization Series. In particular Our Oriental Heritage (The 200 page section on India). An exceptional read, it is extremely harsh concerning the Islamic conquest of India between about 1100 and about 1500. I don't have the book near me but Durant said something to the effect of he thought it the most brutal example of conquest in human history, and considering the Conquistadores and the Aztec's, that's saying something. That is the history that was in my mind at the time, and what I saw through my co-pilot was that an awareness of the militancy of Islam was omnipresent, and that "Kumbaya" towards the relatively civilized Pakistan of Musharraf was not a concept remotely in the minds of the average Hindu's I bumped into on the first anniversary of 9/11.
I have been back probably a dozen times since. Though never again with somehow who understood the language or the history like my first co-pilot, there is always some current incident of Islamic terror; shooting/bombing/burnings etc, that somewhere pops up on the many news channels during any visit, and always there's an undeclared border war with Pakistan. My guess now, after the elimination of Musharraf, what with the new Pakistani Governments recent acquiescence to allowing Sharia Law in the hinterlands and the Taliban encroaching on Musharraf's weak successor, that the Indian military is definitely gearing up for potential catastrophe and the average Joe Hindu is even more ready to "get it on" than they were on my first visit.

[Moazzam Husain]

Sending six platoons of Frontier Constabulary??? This is a feeble effort. Pakistan needs to send in its crack troops. Special forces for a short, sharp hard hitting operations on these brigands. The objective should be to eliminate as many as possible. "Flushing out" ie chasing them away is not enough as they simply resurface elsewhere.

I would also like to see Pakistani officers using the term "enemy" to describe these thugs when briefing their troops. Let it be clear and not shy from employing the right language. The first step to winning any war is to first properly define it.

[daddy]

In OT news, China announced on Monday that in addition to the latest Nuclear Power Plant Westinghouse started constructing in Sanmen, China on Sunday, they will begin building 4 more before the year is out, to go with the 24 other Nuclear Units they currently have under construction.

No word on how much moral capital that will cost them.

And Governor Sarah Palin was served with ">http://www.adn.com/palin/story/769505.html"> another Ethics Complaint yesterday. "The complaint says the governor abdicated her governor duties at a critical time -- the end of the legislative session, when she went to Indiana for two events, a Right to Life banquet and a breakfast for families with Down syndrome children."

No word on how much capital, moral or otherwise, that will cost her.

[narciso]

Pakistan is falling, like Afghanistan did to the Taliban, 12-15 years ago. Buner and the plains of Ambeyla were a major battle related almost 150 years ago, recorded by
Charles Allen in God's Warriors, too bad we don't have people of that caliber in
Pennsylvania Avenue or Downing Street yet, who are willing to face that threat. What we have to be charitable is the equivalent
of Kevin Bacon's hapless ROTC cadet, in
'Animal House', yelling 'all is well' as he is trampled by the mob

One can understand the latest one of these stupid 'ethics complaints' in the light of trying to silence someone with that kind of courage and determination, for being the best promotional agent, for Alaska's gifts
and the values we still hold dear. This too shall pass, when the Legal Defense Fund gets set up.

[pagar]

The truth Obama and the dems don"t want to face is that they are making us weaker by the day...

I would suggest changing that sentence to read----weaker by the second.

[narciso]

No, they know it Pagar, it's part of the plan, Re; Loudoun and the real Barack Obama

[Molon Labe]

In spite of the danger, isn't there a bit of satisfaction knowing the Pakistani people are going to endure the hellish thuggery they unleashed on the people of Afghanistan?

Chickens. Home. Roost.

[peter]

Molon, that's the Wright way to think.

[Jane]

And what's worse is I am not sure yet that the country appreciates what is going on.

I'm sure they don't. (stupid story alert) Every week I have a manicure. It is my one guilty pleasure. The person who does my nails is a conservative. All of her clients except me are liberals. She only talks politics with me

Every week I ask her if anyone has said anything. Expressed any concern for this president and what is happening to this country.

Every week she says "no".

I find that breathtaking.

Oh and Good Morning!

[Extraneus]

Well sure, Jane, because most people are happy with the direction of the country since Obama's election. Why, even RON FORNIER tells us.

seven in 10 Americans say it is reasonable to expect it to take longer than a year to see the results of Obama's economic policies

They think we aren't seeing the results yet.

[Tina]

There is hope out there Jane. This week I was at the grocery store, it was raining so I pulled my car under the covered parking for the lady to help me load up my car. She noticed my McCain/Palin sticker on my car. She immediately gave me three web sites to go to for tea party information and gatherings. She was pretty incensed at what is going on in this country.

[clarice]

daddy, what an interesting report on India.
I love that place..and to be there is to understand why Israel and India and the US are natural allies and why India will certainly overtake China as an economic biggie on the international scene.
Oh, and I love the food and am making more of it now that I see how easy it is to make naan.

[Pofarmer]

Aren't we glad though that Musharraf is gone and all because just think of all the moral capital that won the Paki's
Amen Daddy.

[Rick Ballard]

It's rather uninteresting that Mediacrat purchased polls are pimping Zero adulation in anticipation of the "First 100 Days of Misery" celebration. Apparently Rasmussen didn't get the message.

Perhaps a look at Cadillac Deval's numbers is in order? After all, he's an Axelrod creation and has the same basic competency as the Cretin in Chief.

There's your future BHO.

[Captain Hate]

Clarice, having a son-in-law whose grandfather narrowly escaped being killed in the partition of Pakistan, I can anecdotally agree with everything Daddy wrote. The saddest thing is that the Hindus would otherwise be benignly disposed toward Muslims; look at the Islamic sites in Delhi that exist for all to enjoy and contrast that to the fate of the Bamyan Buddhas.

[verner]

Daddy, thanks for your India analysis. I've been there too. I spent two weeks there with a car and driver in the North. An absolutely life altering experience.

Since my visit, about 4 years ago, 4 of the cities I visited have been hit by terror attacks--Jaipur, Agra, Varanasi,and Delhi. We forget, they hit the Indian Parliament not long after 911.

And you're right. For all of Musharraf's many sins, he was born in Old Delhi, and went a long way towards keeping a lid on things.

Another thing that never gets mentioned. The people of India for the most part LOVE the USA. (Take that Dennis Blair!) The most frequent question I got was "Why Can't I get a visa?"

All I can say is, hold on tight folks. You know all that stuff in the bible? We might be seeing in on the subcontinent sooner than later.

[cboldt]

-- I notice that all you hear is silence from Biden... --

Small favors and all that. Friction is the human condition, and "the One's" supposed-to-be-comforthing rhetoric is nothing but rotten baloney.

[verner]

Very true Captain. I went all over Old Delhi alone with my husband and a guide. Absolutely no problem. The Muslim population in India is generally very moderate and peaceful. Sad that they will get it from both sides in all of this.

[verner]

Rick:Perhaps a look at Cadillac Deval's numbers is in order? After all, he's an Axelrod creation and has the same basic competency as the Cretin in Chief.

And that's in MASS !!, Imagine what his numbers would be in Tennessee or Texas--not that we would elect a total bozo like that in the first place.

[Rick Ballard]

Verner,

I watch the weekly unemployment numbers pretty carefully. The "green shoots" blather will make sense when unemployment stops rising and we're not there yet. The Odiots proposals re credit cards represent another firm chokehold on expansion.

The out for the credit card companies is rather obvious - if they aren't allowed to charge potential deadbeats the appropriate rate, don't issue the card. Debt serfs comprise the core of Obama's supporters. Jerking the choke chain on their serf's collar isn't going to improve his numbers.

[bad]

Hey, cboldt, good to see ya!

[Harun]

daddy,

About your experience in Mumbai...I think a lot of Americans (especially leftists) are going to be surprised about what "world opinion" is in the near future, when its not just Western European opinion.

[bad]

Legal Insurrection: LUN

Obama did not create the profound desire for retribution, but he has unleashed it. And it will consume his presidency. This will be a fight unlike anything any of us have seen in our lifetimes, because it involves the nation's most emotional moment since Pearl Harbor. The legal battle lines already are being drawn, fund raising plans drawn, and lawyering up is about to begin. And both sides relish the prospect of a battle.

Obama should not underestimate the destructive power of Congress. Barely three months into his term, Obama's ability to control the agenda is on the cusp. The inimitable Democratic penchant for self-destructive behavior will not be satisfied until Bush has been bashed, even if the ultimate victims are our national security and Obama's legacy.

Read the whole thing.

[Ranger]

Perhaps a look at Cadillac Deval's numbers is in order? After all, he's an Axelrod creation and has the same basic competency as the Cretin in Chief.

There's your future BHO.

Posted by: Rick Ballard | April 23, 2009 at 08:15 AM

Don't forget, Blago ran as the "change" agent in Illinois as well. And both Barry and Rahm were big players in his first election campaign.

[Ranger]

And more on topic, when I first got to Grad School a couple of my friends were Indian. They helped me understand the depth of the feelings in the conflict. Back then the Indian government used the term TSP to refer to Pakisant. TSP was short hand for the Terrorist State of Pakistan. And that was before the real possibility of a Taliban government there.

[bad]

And both Barry and Rahm were big players in his first election campaign.

According to Rahm, they ran the whole shebang. Then when Blago became infamous, Rahm said he was mistaken and they weren't that involved.

That's a big change....

[verner]

When will they realize, there's usually a very good reason people have a 430 credit score.

When you have good credit, and they try to raise the rate, you call customer service, and tell them that you'll take your business elsewhere. Works just like the market is suppose to.

But under Obama, now not only do you have a right to a free college education, free housing, and free health care, you have an inalienable right to charge $500 worth of junk at Walmart that you don't need, and not pay for it.

What a country!

[Ranger]

Well, Obama's problem is that in the current economic situation, prudent people are holding cash and paying off debt. No big spending until the situation clarifies. Of course, that means a contiually shriking economy, at least for a couple of years.

The solution? Easy, give more credit to the irresponsable consumer who you know will go out and spend regardless of the situation! Demand low interest rates and easy access to credit for everyone! Yeah, that should fix everything.

[Pratik p]

I've been following the news related to tentions between india and pakistan, internal problems in pakistan related to extrimist since I was a 8 year old kid. The tension between the two countries is caused by only one reason. That is terrorism. Terrorists (taliban, al quaida, etc) wants northern part of himalayans for drugs, weapons and metal sumggling. The best hiding spots in the world. The way I see this whole crazyness in the region, India will put guards against Pakistan and cut off every level of communications, businesses, trades and seal off boarders. Pakistan will fall back into military regime and loose it's powers piece by piece untill the country is devided in many mini contries. Eventually, there will be no more pakistan and what ever left over pieces will fight against each other and play polo with goat's head. All these politicians from pakistan are puppets and play for ISI and various other groups including terrorist groups. Eventually when USA and other countries will get tired of giving charity to pakistan to run the basic structure that they would not have been able to afford them selves, pakistan will turn into something worse than what was Afghanistan 8 years ago. Good luck to the what ever good people left from pakistan, migrate out while you can.

[T. yusuf]

we all seem to forget history too soon,before the us literally drag pakistan into this so called war on terror using the phrase "you are either with us or against us"what is the position of militancy or taliban in pakistan?The real truth is that musharraf allowed his country to be drawn into this quagmire by the us.while the us is 1000's of km from afganistan, pakistan share the same border and the same ethnic pashtun tribes.Now the same us is turning back to blame pakistan of not doing enough while both NATO and the US are desperately struggling to save their faces from humiliating defeat from the same taliban in afganistan.
If both NATO and the US with all their home support can not defeat the taliban what else do they expect pakistan to do after putting 120,000 troops at the border and the tribal areas?

[Ranger]

The tension between the two countries is caused by only one reason. That is terrorism. Terrorists (taliban, al quaida, etc) wants northern part of himalayans for drugs, weapons and metal sumggling.

Posted by: Pratik p | April 23, 2009 at 09:47 AM

I would argue that the terrorists are a product, not a cause of the basic issue. The core problem between India and Pakistan is that Pakistan exists at all. It was created by partioning South Asia under the logic that no Muslim majority state could recieve fair treatment in a Hindu majority federation. The problem for Pakistan is that first, they treated Bangladesh like a colonial provice, giving it much worse treatment than it ever would have recieved with India, and it took the Indian Army to liberate the Bangladeshies from the Pakistanies.

The second problem is Kashmir, which is a Muslim majority state. The peaceful and successful integration of Kashmir into India simply invalidates the entire logic for the existance of Pakistan. The terrorists in Kashmir were created by Pakistan to "prove" the logic of Pakistan's creation.

[pagar]

Narciso, I don't understand why every American that cares is not reading it every day.

That Credit Card article linked by Rick B would read like a comic book if the subject wasn't so serious to many families. First, we see Valerie Jarrett of Chicago slumlord fame as an Obama senior advisor.

Valerie Jarrett Named Senior Obama Slum Lord Adviser

Then we read that:

"Individuals are going to have to save more. That's why savings incentives are so important," he said. "That's why we need to do things to stop the marketing of credit in ways that addicts people to it and so that our households are again saving and families are again preparing to send their kids to college."

Anyone believe that a message about saving more, coming from the people who have trashed the stock market, and wanting to raise taxes on anyone who could possibly put some money aside, makes sense? Anyone seen any sign that there are a lot of savings shown in the Obama tax returns?

[clarice]

I was traveling by car thru Rajasthan in the months before 9/11. One of the places I stayed at was an old palace converted to a hotel by the family who was left with little else after Indira illegally confiscated the Raj's holdings. The owner used to have informal cocktails and talks and dinner time and I remember clearly how we agreed that Islamic terrorism was a growing problem being neglected by the world.
Wish we'd been wrong.

[Ranger]

The real truth is that musharraf allowed his country to be drawn into this quagmire by the us.

Posted by: T. yusuf | April 23, 2009 at 09:57 AM

Total BS. Pakistan created the Taliban, trained them, and funded them. When they became the government of Afgahnistan, they continued to support them while Al Qaeda set up shop there.

Pakistan got "drawn into this" because the US government, within its full rights of pre-emptive self defense under the UN charter, demanded the Taliban government turn over the senior Al Qaeda leadership that had planned 9/11 and shut down all of Al Qaeda's training camps in the country. When the Taliban refused to accept those demands, they made themselves the state agent of Al Qaeda, which was an organization engaged in an active war against the US.

The US was going to remove the Taliban government. The only question was if we were going to have to go through Pakistan to do it. This is why Musharef stated in his address to the Pakistani nation that the decistion to ally with the US in the war against the Taliban was one of national survival. If Pakistan had not co-operated, they would have made themselves an open ally of the Taliban, and Al Qaeda in an already ongoing war In fact, Pakistan had been an ally of both for years, and our demand was that they either switch over to out side, or we would let the Indian Army roll over their country and clear the way for us into our main target.

To say:

The real truth is that musharraf allowed his country to be drawn into this quagmire by the us.

Simply ignores that fact that Pakistan itself was an active backer of both Al Qaeda and the Taliban long before we decided to remove the Taliban from power. It was the Pakistani ISI that got Pakistan into the quagmire long before the US arrived on the scene.

[verner]

Pratik, excellent points, but you left out one important factor--Pakistan's nukes.

Yusuf, nice try trying to blame America, but your criticism falls to face the facts.

The ISI invented the Taliban. There would never have been a Bin Laden without the ISI. You have been having a civil war in Pakistan between the religious extremists and the pragmatists for a long long time.

If anything, Musharraf, with US aid, brought a degree of stability to the place while he lasted. And I believe, if she had lived, that Mrs. Bhutto would have continued along the same path. But look who murdered her!

There are many brilliant Pakistani professionals in my community, and I grieve for what's about to happen to their loved ones back home. The blame can only be place right in the laps of the ISI and the religious extremists, who seem to finally be getting their decades old wish for domination. May Allah help you all. We tried.

[sbw]

Obama -- leftists -- are incapable of multi-step reasoning. Answers have to consist of a single premise and a conclusion, however simplistic. The conclusion must be right next to the problem so they can jump to it. Show me one who thinks otherwise.

They get mired in relativism because they have not the habit to deduce the consequences of tolerating anti-social behavior. Bush could... and they hated him for it... although Bush could not explain why. Reagan and Thatcher could, and tell you precisely why... and they hated them for that, too.

Obama could set the groundwork today to warn the Taliban to back off -- that they should have learned the lesson of Iraq and Afghanistan by now: that state terrorism will be cut down and the leaders along with it. Powell may have been wrong about other things, but we will cut off its head and kill it.

[sbw]

T. yusuf, what is important and why? You have no clue.

[Old Lurker]

Now it's eating MY posts...

[Pofarmer]

"The complaint says the governor abdicated her governor duties at a critical time -- the end of the legislative session, when she went to Indiana for two events, a Right to Life banquet and a breakfast for families with Down syndrome children."

Oh, good Lord.

What a bunch of indolent twits.

It must be like baby sitting first graders all the time being Governor up there.

[Danube of Thought]

Cbolt! Where you been, man?

My guess is that Obama will drop this "prosecution" nonsense like a hot rock. I would imagine that there's a bit of internal turmoil at the WH over this nonsense, as CIA field agents now have no idea what the hell lies in store for them.

And how forthcoming will WH lawyers be in writing memoranda of law?

[anduril]

Kaus' inimitable take on the Harman thing. He starts out tongue in cheek and then...well...I dunno, it's just inimitable.

Guess this feud is over: Nancy Pelosi speaks out in defense of Jane Harman!

"I have great confidence in Jane Harman," Pelosi said. "She's a patriotic American. She would never do anything to hurt her country."

Thanks, Nancy ... for, you know, emphasizing the whole unpatriotic, betray-your country issue. ... P.S.: I used to work for Harman and like her. Maybe I'm biased. But I don't completely understand what all the fuss is about. So someone convinces her that this prosecution is unfair and she says she'll probably lobby against it. And then this person puts in a good word for her with Pelosi about committee assignments. If this person is also (unbeknownst to Harman) a spy what does that change? Is that different than if they were an ambassador, or foreign leader, or foreign pundit, or New Republic editor? Or president of a respected non-profit? Seems like everyday politics. No secrets were leaked to anyone, as far as I know. Whether it's corrupt or not depends on whether Harman genuinely thought the prosecution was unfair, which in turn depends at least in part on whether it really was unfair, no? But maybe I'm missing something.

[Pofarmer]

My wife works with a couple Dr.s from Pakistan. Their families back home live in walled and armed compounds. Even they know the country is basically a shithole.

[Jane]

Bad,

That was the best thing I've read in a long time.

Rick,

I was at a meeting where Deval's Lt Gov spoke on Monday. Every other word out of his mouth was blaming Mitt Romney.

[Pofarmer]

Why would anyone worth anything, want to run for Public office? The Dim's are trying to clear the field. I really don't think they think they'll ever be out of power again. That's certainly the way they're acting. They're not worried about prosecuting Bush administration officials because nobody is EVER gonna have a chance to prosecute them, or even second guess their decisions. That's certainly the way they're acting. These people don't just need to be defeated, they need to be put down.

[Appalled]

If you want to get truly scared, check out the Pakistani newspapers. LUN

t. yusuf:

With 3,000 people dead and wounded in the US, and the expectation of more to come, any US president, including Jimmy Carter, would have leaned on Pakistan HARD. 9-11 was an act of war that Pakistan under Musharraf and his military predecessors had some role in enabling.

One can argue whether it would have been better to take som other stance towards Pakistan, but under the circumstances, whatever stance the US would have taken would have been coercive and intolerant of either religious fundamentalists or casual anti-americanism.

And, if the Pakistanis thnk they have it bad now, wait until the dangers of a failed state attract the attention of both India AND China.

[Ranger]

The Dim's are trying to clear the field. I really don't think they think they'll ever be out of power again.

Posted by: Pofarmer | April 23, 2009 at 10:34 AM

Actually, I think it is exactly the opposite. I think the TEA parties have them terrified. They are acting like classic kleptocrats who use ideology, without believing it, as a means to power and access to wealth so they can fill their own pockets. They know their utopian plans won't work, so they are trying to destory any viable opposition so they can stay in power, even in the face of total policy failure. Hey, it's worked in Illinois, maybe it will work nation wide!

The thirst for terror show trials is also a desperate effort to keep their own base mobilized and distract the public from their own corruption. They have a willing press who (as instapundit reports) has become "desensitized" to corrpution by Democrats because they did so many corruption stories about Republicans over the last 8 years. Torture can be sold as "sexy" and "new". Much more exciting than the same old corruption stories. Who wants to keep reading about that, now that the charges are so heavily against the Dems.

[verner]

Wasn't Rajasthan unbelievable Clarice. We stayed in several of the heritage palaces as well, like living in a dream, or a romance novel. The poverty gap in India defies imagination. But still, somehow, life goes on, as it has for thousands of years.

Our driver had a mini altar to the god Hanuman on the dash, and would stop to feed bread to the monkeys. By the end of the trip, I was praying to the god Hanuman too.

Driving in India is a cross between Kafka and "Rat Race".

I can only imagine what those roads are going to look like if a mushroom cloud appears over Delhi.

[bad]

I think my mom is back on the O-train.

[[[sigh]]]

[Pofarmer]

Much more exciting than the same old corruption stories.

You mean like Pelosi and Boxer steering literally BILLIONS of dollars in Contracts to their Husbands?

[bad]

Jane, I particularly liked his phrase, "the destructive power of Congress."

He was spot on in his characterization of O and O's shortcomings....for starters.

[anduril]

bad, it's a good blog and contains a link to a good WSJ editorial. Along the lines you suggest - "the destructive power of Congress" - I offer this snippet from the editorial:

Mr. Obama may think he can soar above all of this, but he'll soon learn otherwise. The Beltway's political energy will focus more on the spectacle of revenge, and less on his agenda. The CIA will have its reputation smeared, and its agents second-guessing themselves. And if there is another terror attack against Americans, Mr. Obama will have set himself up for the argument that his campaign against the Bush policies is partly to blame.

Above all, the exercise will only embitter Republicans, including the moderates and national-security hawks Mr. Obama may need in the next four years. As patriotic officials who acted in good faith are indicted, smeared, impeached from judgeships or stripped of their academic tenure, the partisan anger and backlash will grow. And speaking of which, when will the GOP Members of Congress begin to denounce this partisan scapegoating? Senior Republicans like Mitch McConnell, Richard Lugar, John McCain, Orrin Hatch, Pat Roberts and Arlen Specter have hardly been profiles in courage.

Mr. Obama is more popular than his policies, due in part to his personal charm and his seeming goodwill. By indulging his party's desire to criminalize policy advice, he has unleashed furies that will haunt his Presidency.

[boris]

"They know their utopian plans won't work, so they are trying to destory any viable opposition so they can stay in power, even in the face of total policy failure."

It fits but I'm skeptical. IMO they don't know that and attribute the unbroken record of failure to conspiracy, bad luck, and unfair tactics by those they are now in a position to repay. The rest is pretty much the same which implies they're fooling themselves to avoid the cognitive dissonance. If anything, the combination of self delusion, revenge and projection is more dangerous than simple greed.

[Jane]

I just hope he has it properly pegged.

[anduril]

Another good line from the blog:

Despite the lofty rhetoric from Patrick Leahy and others, this is all about retribution for the 2000 election.

In the same way that Watergate was, in no small measure, about Alger Hiss. And don't get me wrong--I'm no Nixon apologist. He was a disaster for this country in many important ways. But no good comes of criminalizing personal and/or policy differences. Even when there may be underlying wrongs (cf. John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Baines Johnson, etc.).

[bad]

Legal Insurrection is worth bookmarking if you haven't already.

Even if it's only to console yourself in the knowledge that not all of academia are nutjobs.

[Rick Ballard]

OL,

It looks like the Bond Market Association is getting ready to fight 40 acres and a 3BR 2BA. For those wonder what the Bond Market Association is - if you have a pension, you belong to it.

Oconomics is all about the theft of pension funds to "spread it around" the low tercile which includes most of the debt serfs who constitute the core of idiots supporting Obama. Of course, they'll only be idiots if the dirty socialist panem et circences programs don't pay out. There's a definite link between the credit card rule changes and the 40 acres and a 3BR 2BA garbage.

The next time you see a "banks aren't lending" article, remember CRA and the fact that the loans to trash were a major component in putting us where we are today. I don't believe that the low tercile is going to be too happy in a Zero velocity cash economy.

[Ranger]

Rick,

I saw a statistic somewhere the other day that said CRA loans accounted for only 7% of BoAs total home loans, but 24% of their losses in the home loan branch of the bank. Any idea where that stat comes from? It would be nice to know the next time someone throws out the "CRA was just a small part of the problem" line.

[matt]

We are now officially in a world of hurt. Obama has quietly but completely marginalized Israel. The Talib are gaining rapidly in Pakistan, and a civil war is on the way. the gap between the westernized part of the country and the hinterlands is far too wide and has been artificially maintained for too long. A classic peasant revolution scenario with no good outcome.

The only thing we can really do is try to work with whoever is sane in that country to secure the nukes. The Indians will go on full alert ion the next couple of weeks/months if the situation deteriorates further. Pakistan's military leadership has always used the external threat to secure their power within the country.

ISI is riddled with Taliban/AQ sympathizers and knows where all the levers of power lie. They could neutralize the army through disinformation, and the lower ranks are already a concern.

In the meantime, the border areas are under even more pressure. Supply convoys to our troops passing through the Khyber Pass are taking huge hits, and no one is talking as if we can pull an Anbar Awakening in southern Afghanistan.

The Israelis are chomping at the bit to neutralize the Iranian nuclear threat and have been pellucid in their warnings. They really don't care when it comes down to their survival whether Obama approves.

And who is sitting right in the middle of the mess? we are. As president dimwit waltzes Ortega and Castro and Chavez, and apologizes for how f**ked up we are to the French, he is about to demonstrate his absolute incompetence as a military leader.

His supporters want show trials, the trillions of TARP dollars have disappeared like smoke, and the Chinese have closed the loan window.And of course we're all right wing kooks who are jealous of his brilliance.

[Chris Lucente]

I just love how all you right wingnuts have transferred Bush/Cheney's guilt onto Obama! The poor guy has only been in office 3 months, and all you freaks have blamed him for the last 2000 years of human history! Give mew a break!!!!

[Rick Ballard]

"the Chinese have closed the loan window."

That tends to happen when the "bank" is broke.

Ranger,

I haven't seen the 7%/24% split before but it would be very unsurprising. The problem with weighting CRA too heavily is the size of the loans. All the stats focus on loan count but the suburban dolt in CA who walked on a $400K mortgage did the same amount of real damage as 10 jerks in Detroit walking on $40K mortgages.

The MBS fantasy could handle 1 suburban dolt or 10 plantation dolts but it couldn't handle 1 suburban dolt and 10 plantation dolts. The "good intentions" of those who crafted MBS with the "social benefit" attachment didn't cover the reality of what happens when "free lunch" is on the menu.

[Jane]

The poor guy has only been in office 3 months, and all you freaks have blamed him for the last 2000 years of human history! Give mew a break!!!!

You are wrong Chris. I blame him for the last 10,000 years "of human history". As opposed to the last 20,000 years of "of human history" you blamed President Bush for. The difference is, President Obama actually deserves it.

[Ignatz]

-I haven't seen the 7%/24% split before but it would be very unsurprising.-

I read the same BofA stat a day or two ago. Can't remember where it was.

-Give mew a break!!!!-

Pussy.

[Jessie]

I want to address the people of Pakistan. If there is any hope, it is in the hands of the people. it is a huge democracy. and I am sure the majority of people want peace and progress. Dear friends, please unite against this threat. Have you heard the story of a man who had seven sons who were fighting all the time? The father called them all and asked them to break the sticks in the stack one by one and brothers did this easily. And then he gave them a tied stack with all the sticks together and asked them to break the bundle. Try as they might, they could not break the bundle. I am from India but I know, you, my friends, grew up with similar stories. I don't see much hope in any other action but the united, fight of the people of Pakistan to root out these dangerous elements out of their society and save their and their children's future. There is so much more to life than these bickerings about religious and social concepts. Please remember the struggle for freedom when people united to take down the British Imperialism. if it could be done then, why can't these thugs, ravaging your families, your culture, your life be taken down? If the people of Pakistan unite and rise up against all these goons, I am sure people all over the world will rise up with them to help them.
best regards to each of you for using your human values capital!
Jessie

[Old Lurker]

Rick, I posted the Bloomberg LUN on the other thread because it is exactly the reaction one would expect from the grownups who own the money.

LUN

[Ignatz]

-Please remember the struggle for freedom when people united to take down the British Imperialism.-

Isn't that rather why we have had the perrenial sick child of Pakistan to deal with?

[sbw]

Give mew a break

Yeah, like Chris Crocker - LEAVE BRITNEY SPEARS ALONE!

[Ranger]

Isn't that rather why we have had the perrenial sick child of Pakistan to deal with?

Posted by: Ignatz | April 23, 2009 at 12:58 PM

Yes, exactly. Pakistan exists because the Muslim leadership in India at the end of the colonial period wanted to be big fish in their own little pond, rather than be smaller fish in the larger pond. As a result, they forced an unnesseary partition of South Asia which could only be logically justified by destabilising Kashmir.

Comparing the political history of both countries in informative as well. India has managed to build a durrable democratic system despite appaling wealth distrobution, near continuous active armed revolts in various parts of the country, and over 70 languages and dalects spoken across the country.

Pakistan on the other hand, has used democratic processes to legitimize a kleptocratic elite, who must be preiodically swept out of power by the Army when their appatites for theft can not be sated and bring the country to the edge of total collapse.

[verner]

"The poor guy has only been in office 3 months, and all you freaks have blamed him for the last 2000 years of human history! Give mew a break!!!!"

Honey, what we're REALLY afraid of is that we're going to have to blame him for the NEXT two thousand years of human history.

[Ignatz]

-Comparing the political history of both countries in informative as well.-

Not to mention three major wars with each other since independence as well.

[Extraneus]

Three months of accomplishments...