From: Adam Flinton 

Gene McAloon wrote:

> On Fri, 16 Jul 2004 12:15:42 +0100, Adam Flinton

> wrote:
>
>
>>Set up a US friendly dictator in the shape of Karzai?
>
>
> You are wrong about Karsai. The one good thing Bush has done in that country
is
> getting Karsai to take charge. Everything known about what he is doing there
> indicates that he is genuinely trying to establish a real democracy and at
great
> odds.
>

Just like Musharaff. Most dictators mouth a desire for democracy if only
the people could be trusted to "vote properly". Wait to see what
happens if the majority of votes goes to the Taliban or their proxies.


> I will give Bush credit for that even though in every other respect he has
made
> a complete mess of it, starting with the finger he gave NATO when they
> volunteered to help in the "invasion." Bush didn't what to
be constrained in
his
> operations in Afghanistan as happened with NATO involvement in Kosovo. As
always
> with Bush, he is now begging even NATO to contribute troops, a complete
> reversal.
>

& the Russians are so close & so willing to lend a hand esp in the North....

> While his "policy" in Afghanistan seems to consist of
nothing more than
chasing
> around some Taliban or alleged AQ types on the border with Pakistan, while
> leaving the rest of the country outside Kabul in the hands of the usual war
> lords, that policy has accomplished nothing. The country deteriorates into
> anarchy with every passing day. Karsai has to come to Washington on bended
knee
> to beg for more troops, but Bush has none to give him because they are all
tied
> up in Iraq, itself a continuing disaster.
>

Yup. & how well will these putuative "free & fair"
elections go in a country which hasn't yet even completed a proper census
due to "security problems" etc?

Who exactly is going to "get the vote"?

> If someone wrote a novel based all this, his editor would insist that he
write
> something at least a little bit more credible if the thing is to sell. Not
even
> readers of fiction would find today's reality in the least credible.
>

The current levels of incompetance/reality blindness are quite startling.


Adam

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