Saturday, December 29, 2007

WEP has returned from the holidays. I hope everyone had a safe and Merry Christmas. Before I post today, I want to send a special prayer for Benazir Bhutto, her family and supporters, the people of Pakistan and America. The radical Islamists once again show that they have hardly retreated into the shadows. Bhutto was a friend of the West. She believed in democracy, equality and basic human rights. She rejected much of the old Sharia that so many radical Muslims embrace, and she was murdered for it. Now, an entire nation is ready to be ripped apart at the seams while Musharraf appears powerless to stop it. Make no mistake, this is a very dangerous situation with implications for every citizen of the world. Pakistan has dozens of nuclear weapons and if Musharraf loses control of those the Iranian threat suddenly becomes minute in comparison.

On a related note, I'd like to point out yet another tasteless moment from John Edwards. He called Pervez Musharraf after the murder of Bhutto, apparently to urge the Pakistani president to continue to press for democracy in his counry. This was moments after a major political figure was assassinated and the entire country was on the verge of brutal riots, and John Edwards - someone with absolutely NO political power or position in our government - decides to put in a personal phone call. Huh? Pretentious doesn't begin to describe this. Tacky, inappropriate, arrogant, assuming would all fit as well, insert your own synonym, but this is a prime example of the type of person John Edwards is...delusional AND cocky.

And let's not leave out Mike Huckabee, who (along with every other presidential candidate) attempted to capitalize on the situation by claiming (along with every other presidential candidate) that HE was best suited to deal with similar international incidents as president. My guess is that Huckabee probably couldn't find Pakistan on a map, but that's another post. The actual reason why I singled him out of the crowd of buzzards is because during his opportunistic stumping he made a statement regarding his concern for martial law in Pakistan and how much longer this would go on. Apparently, no one informed Mikey that martial law ended over 2 weeks ago. Yeah, and this guy wants to be president? I don't care how close you are to Jesus. If you can't keep up with current events in the Muslim community, especially ones involving nuclear nations, then the White House is the last place you need to be.

Meanwhile, here is a link to the latest info from Iraq with an excerpt below:

BAGHDAD — Iraq's interior ministry spokesman said Saturday that 75 percent of Al Qaeda in Iraq's terrorist network had been destroyed this year, but the top American commander in the country said the terror group remained his chief concern. Maj. Gen. Abdul Kareem Khalaf said the disruption of the terrorist network was due to improvements in the Iraqi security forces, which he said had made strides in weeding out commanders and officers with ties to militias or who were involved in criminal activities.

6 comments:

SNAKE HUNTERS said...

John, It's just a guess, but the Huckabee Boom is quickly turning to Bust in Iowa, just in time. ('Mickie' has no clue on the War, or International Affairs).
>>
Hillary's a winner of course, and
the G.O.P. sail into New Hampshire with Romney, McCain & Giuliani in a dead-heat thriller.

Hoping Gingrich gets the V.P. Spot to round out a solid team for General Petraeus. That fine officer needs some tough men here to help him with a weak Congress. reb
__________________________________
www.lazyonebenn.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Gentlemen, in reverse order:

reb,

A poll result I heard this morning w/ respect to Iowa put Edwards at 24%; Obama at 23%; and Clinton at 22%. This is a statistical dead heat. So, I caution you, my friend, do not count your Clintons b/f they are hatched.

Doctor,

My jury is still out regarding the appropriateness of Edward's t/c but certainly I did not react to it ss vehemently as you have. Obviously, he was not acting in any oficial capacity but does his lack of official capacity prevent him form responding. I am uncertain whether he and Musharrif have any personal reationship which may have developed during Edward's term as senator but if positions were reversed, would you react as negatively if Benazir Bhutto called President Bush after the assassintion of a presidential candidate?

Meanwhile, the assassination certainly has the hallmarks of one committed by radical Islamists (I think I must digress here for a moment as I have just decided that the term "radical Islamist" contains a redundancy. All Islamists are radical. Not all Muslims are necessarily Islamists but all Islamists are radicals.)
Nevertheless, give the political history of Pakistan, the parties responsible may be other than Islamists.

The only comforting news in this situation may be who has control of the Pakistan's nuclear weapons. My understanding is that the military, not necessarily Musharrif, has control of the weapons and the military has a vested interest in a stable Pakistan. I also understand that the military is not fraught w/ Islamists, although if either of my understandings are incorrect, I am certainly will to feel more panicked than I do now.

Happy New Year to one and all.

Regards.

SNAKE HUNTERS said...

John, Once the foolishness in
Iowa is over, Huckabee & Obama
will begin to fade away. The Clinton
machinery will crank up in New Hampshire,
and Soros-Power will show its strenght...
When Mighty Georgie Gives The Order!

Recall Hillary's quote after the David Petraeus Report on 9/11/07...

"The willing suspension of disbelief".

reb
__________________________________
www.lazyonebenn.blogspot.com

SNAKE HUNTERS said...

Post-Election Reflection:
_________________________________

Three Democrats: Two Experienced
Legislators, Senators Biden & Dodd, and One Green-horn with a
Slogan, and the new un-tested guy sweeps the field, causing the two fellows with decades of experience to pull out of the race!

OBAMA, smooth as glass, but No Experience In International Affairs Gets An Amazing Victory In IOWA!

Something Haywire Here? Obama had a
few thousand blue placards that stated:

OBAMA change you can believe in

IS THAT What It Takes To Win
A Presidential Election?

You Tell Me, are we a nation of Idiots
& Nin-com-poops, led by a
billionaire master-manipulator?

>>

Sheep, Wolves & Sheep-dogs.
Who will survive in 2008? reb
__________________________________
www.lazyonebenn.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Doctor,

This is far off topic, but I thought you wouldn't mind. This morning, Saturday, I walked and fed the dogs after which I took the Rocky Mountain News out of its plastic bag and opened it.

The front page was dominated by a picture of an officer in a fatigue cap beneath the cation: "Maj. Andrew Olstead 1969-2008."

Next to the photo these words appear:

Maj. Andrew`Olstead began blogging for the Rocky in May, while he was training, and arrived in Iraq on July 11. His goal was to share his front line experiences with the American people. He was killed Thursday. The following is an excerot from a post he wrote to be published in the event of his death in Iraq:

"I do ask (not that I am in a position to enforce this) that no one try to use my death for political purposes. I went to Iraq and did what I did for my purposes not yours. My life isn't a chit to be used to bludgeon people to silence on either side. If you think the U.S. should stay in Iraq, don't drag me into it by claiming that somehow my death demands us staying in Iraq. If you think the U.S. ought to get out tomorow, don't cite my name as an example of someone's life who was wasted by our mission in Iraq. I have my own opinions about what we should do about Iraq, but since I'm not around to expound on them I'd prefer others not try and use me as some kind of moral capitalto support a position I probably didn't`support. Further, this is tough enough on my family without their having to see my picture being used in some rally ormy name being cited for some political purpose. You can fight political battles without hurting my family, and I'd prefer that you did so.

On a similar note, while you are free to think whatever you like about my life and death, if you think I wasted my life, I'll tell you you're wrong. We are all going to die of something. I died doing a job I loved. When your time comes, I hope you are as fortunate as I was.

For more go to www.rocymountainnews.com.

Go with God, Major.

John Washburn said...

Loop, thank you for that. I couldn't agree more. Every politician in Washington should read those words.