poppa x said:
This quote from razorwire
Pakistan being the most blatant example. Still helping al-Queda, still harbouring 'terrorists', still a hotbed of anti-US radicalism, still harbouring and protecting the man responsible for most global nuclear technology getting into to 'wrong' hands, but magically becomes a US ally regardless.
I'm prepared to support you on Gumpus but this quote is plain wrong.
The President of Pakistan is arguably the most gutsy world leader in the fight against terrorism. The fight's in is back yard and he actively supports the USA. Sure he has dissidents in his Government and Military but his position is clear. He supports Bush. The man is true hero.
Musharraf is a tin pot military dictator who seized power through a coup and has retained it through electoral fraud and constitutional manipulation. During Bush's time in office, the original stance was that massive reforms toward democracy would need to be made for Pakistan to receive US assistance. These reforms have not been made - genuine democracy is as non-existent in Pakistan as it was just after the coup - yet recently $3billion in aid over 5 years was announced for Pakistan. The US doesn't really give a damn about democracy; they prefer dictators as long as they are preferable to the alternative with regard to US interests.
But don't think for a minute that the US trusts Musharraf or vice-versa - the aid I mention above is conditional on Musharraf behaving himself and can be cancelled at any moment.
Bush is an embattled leader, marginalised internationally and floundering badly in all polls at home. For him it was a rare opportunity to take advantage of being able to spin some 'good news.' In truth there is little genuine good news in the US-Pakistan relationship.
Musharraf consistently pays the US lip service, but that's all it amounts to. In a previous visit he hid the death of Daniel Pearl at the hands of Pakistani kidnappers from the Bush admin despite being fully aware he had died - he didn't want the news to compromise his objectives.
His stalling and disinformation regarding the whereabouts of bin Laden has reached epic proportions...'yes, we are thoroughly searching the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas'...despite the fact every 'al Queda operative' thus far uncovered in Pakistan has been found in a major city. Despite the fact it is well known bin Laden requires kidney dialysis, Musharraf pretends to the world he's hiding in a cave somewhere in FATA territory. Bin Laden remains hidden in Pakistan - as do other important operatives - simply because he can afford to. Musharraf is playing both sides and turning a dollar out of each.
Still he refuses to let the US take action on its own regarding 'actionable information' on bin Laden's whereabouts.
Reacting to a Bush comment to CNN Wednesday that if actionable information was available, he would 'absolutely' order US forces to capture or kill Osama, even if he was in Pakistani territory, Musharraf had told a press conference in New York, "We would not like to allow that at all.
Why? Because then Musharraf can't milk a cash cow with each hand...he can't pretend to be a US ally while harbouring al-Queda and it sizeable assets.
Same deal with Iran. While the US is under the impression it is receiving credible information on Iran, Iran is also being fed every latest detail.
The bulk of the world's heroin is produced in US controlled Afghanistan, all of it goes through Pakistan...yet both claim to be virulently anti-drugs.
Musharraf is an opportunistic dictator who plays his own interests at every turn. To describe him as some sort of 'hero' for his role in the 'War On Terror' amounts to badly formed analysis.
Not that I blame you for that poppa...you just believe the lies you are fed by these crooks.