From: Gene McAloon 

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.

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.

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.

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.

--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5