Shorter Krauthammer

Being a Puppet Master is Hard Work!

See, He's OUR Petty Dictator

NY Times QOTD:

"They would rather have a stable Pakistan — albeit with some restrictive norms — than have more democracy prone to fall in the hands of extremists."
TARIQ AZIM KHAN, Pakistan’s minister of state for information, describing American officials’ reaction to Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s suspending of the Constitution.

Nothing could possibly go wrong with this scenario . . . right?

Let's see,

• backing the forces of oppression in a populist democratic struggle -- check.
• not even considering sanctions of any kind against a regime that arbitrarily arrests any journalists, activists, lawyers and judges who speak out against oppression -- check.
• ignoring the detention of human rights advocates as a dictator suspends elections and usurps a nation's courts -- check.
  

• Spreading democracy and freedom throughout the Middle East -- PRICELESS

Iran: NO EVIDENCE OF BOMB PROGRAM

Sunday: 83 Iraqis Killed, 53 Wounded

Four years of inspections -- nothing.

IRAN DOES NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON.

IRAN DOES NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM.

IRAN DOES NOT HAVE ANY NUCLEAR WEAPON RELATED PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.
And even if they do have some suspicious blueprints, it ain't worth going to war over -- period.

. . . experts in and out of government say there's no conclusive evidence that Tehran has an active nuclear-weapons program.

***

''Iran is seeking a nuclear capability . . . that some people fear might lead to a nuclear-weapons capability,'' [Undersecretary of State Nicholas] Burns said in an interview Oct. 25 on PBS.

"I don't think that anyone right today thinks they're working on a bomb,'' said another U.S. official, who requested anonymity because of the issue's sensitivity.

Got that kids? You can almost hear the "but...but...but" from the rightwing warmongers. Ignore them.

When they say, "but Iran want's the bomb," ignore them. Tell them you want the bomb too. In fact, tell them that you want the bomb and want to be Attorney General too, because like Mukasey, you aren't Alberto Gonzales either.

Two simple words must return to the debate about any war that Dick Cheney or George W. Bush suggest -- "Prove It."

Pakistan always was a bigger problem than Iran when it came to WMD's -- and is an even bigger worry today. You'd never know that from the Administration's tepid response to Musharraf imposing Martial Law. In fact, one could reasonably conclude Bush gave Musharraf the green light. But of course, until someone breaks into Cheney's man-sized safe, we'll never be able to prove that.

Stay tuned, because unlike the rest of the Versailles Press, "McClatchy Newspapers will examine key questions surrounding the Bush administration's confrontation with Iran."


End Of Post

Pakistan Analysis

Shockingly enough, Ali Eteraz linked to his article in The Guardian at the flag-waiving site of self-described NeoCon Dean Esmay.

Earlier, US secretary of state Condoleeza Rice had told Musharraf that the US would not accept martial law, and had sent a top Pentagon general to Pakistan. However, her pro-democracy rhetoric is considered by most Pakistani commentators to be merely that. People are well aware that Pakistan, which is now the third highest recipient of US aid (after Iraq and Israel), could not get away with the emergency if the US truly did not wish to see it happen. Ultimately, the US will do its best to sound like a magnanimous defender of democracy while being perfectly aware that there are not any better options for it. In other words, do not expect sudden talk about regime change coming out of Washington.

I don't fault Eteraz's analysis one iota, and I think he sees much of this puppet theater for what it is. Few in the world believe that anything other than guns power and money are at play here, populist themes like democracy and rule-of-law have all but lost their veneer.

Please let us hear again those bedtime stories from Bush and Cheney about how we are spreading democracy and freedom in the Middle East. It's like a lullaby, a serenade, a comforting tune to ease us off to sleep.

Tell us again Uncle Dick, please. Tell us that scary story about how we were going to make the world safe for democracy.

There is a segment of Pakistan - which includes the judges, lawyers, and journalists - which wants to take to the streets. They have dominated the news over the past year and they want to make a democratic push, with some people casting the lawyers in the same role as the Burmese monks.

Breathtaking. In one thought bubble you can equate the martyrdom of monks with lawyers and judges taking to the streets. In both cases, the United States, the world's "Unipower," ruled by an arbitrary and capricious dry drunk and his puppeteer who works so diligently to reinforce the power of this "unitary executive," sit idly by and watch the chaos unfold -- and in the case of Pakistan, fund the madness.

Evil tyrants shouldn't be a surprise to me at this stage of the game. As Atrios so perfectly stated, “No one could have predicted that an unelected dictator who took power in a military coup would behave just like that.”

But to think someone with such a clear take on the US's passive aggressive foreign policy when it comes to useful dictators has posting privileges at Dean's World, then I know the world is turning inside-out.

When did Dean start hating America? You don't see this kind of stuff at RightWingNutHouse for instance. Rick Moran can state (with all the absolute certainty that some fucking blogger can muster) that Pakistan's 70 nukes are "secure -- for the moment."

The left is already blaming Bush (and speculating that the Administration is jealous of Musharraf and will declare their own State of Emergency to hang on to power next year) – despite the fact that the Administration had actually been orchestrating this return to democracy from behind the scenes by backing Bhutto’s return and helping to broker the deal between her and Musharraf.

See, That's how a proper winger justifies our continued gifting of $2.5 Billion to a thugish regime that no longer has any legitimacy whatsoever. These same stooges will preach family values to you and yours, condemn abortionists and homosexuals to the fiery pits of Hell -- because unwed mothers and Teh Gays ain't got any nukes or oil.

And Reagan. the guy of "Shining City on a Hill" fame, is their patron saint? The mind reels.

Fortunately, Stop The ACLU explains it for us. See, just like Preznitin' is Hard Work, this War on Terror thingy is a "complicated web." Sorta like cookin' Breakfast:

"You get things simmering on one side of the stove and something starts boiling over on the other side."

It might have helped the situation had someone hired a qualified chef to make this omelette. But, No Worries. The good folks at Red State have it all under control, complete with advice for the US's reaction. No problem really . . . Okay, So We Have A Problem . . . but nothing to get to upset over, really.

Let me risk being painted as an even bigger leftist freak than ever before and go completely out on a limb. When a nation's dictator orders that "any criticism of the president or prime minister would be punishable by three years in jail and a fine of up to $70,000" that deserves more than Condi Rice's lukewarm "regrets."

You condemn this stuff in no uncertain terms -- or we as a nation stand for absolutely nothing. Not one Goddamn thing.

Or ... An Out Of Control Pakistan

What is the greatest threat to the United States of America: 2.6 kilograms of highly enriched uranium in Tehran or an out of control Pakistan? It's not close.

-- Joe Biden

Hold on folks, it's about to get bumpy.

And how does Musharraf justify locking up all the justices of it's Supreme Court, shutting down all the independent TV stations, and suspending the constitution by declaring a state of emergency?

A copy of the emergency order obtained by The Associated Press justified the declaration on the grounds that "some members of the judiciary are working at cross purposes with the executive" and "weakening the government's resolve" to fight terrorism.

Of Course! Fighting Terrorism justifies any goddamn thing. Right Condi?

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Saturday it was "highly regrettable" that Pakistan's president had declared a state of emergency. She urged restraint on all sides and a swift return to democracy.

The United States "does not support extraconstitutional measures," Rice said in an interview with CNN from Turkey, where she was participating in a conference with Iraq's neighbors.

As usual, Condi forgot to add, "... in other countries."

Benazir Bhutto (the last legitimately elected civilian ruler of the nation) is sitting on an airport runway, waiting to be arrested, the country's legislators have been isolated and barricaded behind armed patrols.

Musharraf's order allows courts to function but suspends some fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution, including freedom of speech. It also allows authorities to detain people without informing them of the charges.

Military vehicles patrolled and troops blocked roads in the administrative heart of the capital. Paramilitary troops behind rolled barbed wire blocked access to an official compound housing lawmakers — barring even wives, children and even a ruling party senator from entering.

In Karachi, about 100 police and paramilitary troops surrounded Bhutto's house and a bomb disposal squad searched the building, witnesses said.

Taking a page from Shakespeare, all of the lawyers in the country a expected to be arrested shortly. They've already arrested the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Aitzaz Ahsan.

Reading excerpts of the emergency order itself you get a picture that the legal system in Karachi is filled with bomb throwing anarchists with grenades in their briefcases, hell bent on the destruction of all civil order. Honestly, this could have been delivered by Dick Cheney in an attempt to tie "activist judges" to terrorists.

... there is visible ascendancy in the activities of extremists and incidents of terrorist attacks, including suicide bombings, IED explosions, rocket firing and bomb explosions and the banding together of some militant groups, have taken such activities to an unprecedented level of violent intensity posing a grave threat to the life and property of the citizens of Pakistan.

... some members of the judiciary are working at cross purposes with the executive and legislature in the fight against terrorism and extremism, thereby weakening the government and the nation's resolve and diluting the efficacy of its actions to control this menace.

And it goes on that way for a while. Truly stunning. Putting a scolding from the bench on the same level as blowing up an IED.

... the humiliating treatement meted to government officials by some members of the judiciary on a routine basis during court proceedings has demoralized the civil bureaucracy, and senior government functionaries, to avoid being harassed, prefer inaction.

Wow. They're really going to "hate us for our freedoms" after this.

Worst Overreaction to Foot In Mouth Rhetoric, Ever

Citing Obama, Pakistan Says It May Impose State Of Emergency: "

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- The government of embattled Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said Thursday it may impose a state of emergency due to 'external and internal threats' and deteriorating law and order in the volatile northwest near the Afghan border.

Tariq Azim, minister of state for information, said some sentiment coming from the United States, including from Democratic presidential hopeful Barak Obama, over the possibility of U.S. military action against al-Qaida in Pakistan 'has started alarm bells ringing and has upset the Pakistani public.'

Notwithstanding the fact that K-Lo thinks Barack makes Hillary sound "reasonable" for taking a position exactly the same as Senator Clinton's, methinks there's more than a little opportunism going on here -- both here and in Pakistan.

Musharraf has been looking for an excuse to at least look like he's cracking down and can now blame Obama for a little "surge" of his own, damn those Americans. Here in the States, everybody (and by that I mean anybody who is not already firmly in Obama's camp) has been waiting for the "Rock Star" to falter -- jumping on a badly delivered policy statement, uncharacteristically inarticulate for one of the most notable orators of a generation is a no-brainer.

If we've learned one thing from the Rovellians, it's that attacking your opponent's strength is a winning strategy. The great orator stutters. The guy who loves to remind us that he was right about our military strategy in the Middle East from the beginning sends mixed if not naive signals about his stance on an issue he should own. Of course he gets beat up.

But why not? Unless you're a policy wonk (or a political blogger), Oh, Bomb 'em's message was fouled up to the point where he's sounding stupid even though he advocates something that is already U.S. Policy -- POTUS is already authorized to act against terrorists in Pakistan upon "actionable intelligence" via the AUMF that got us into Afghanistan -- and as tempting as it might be to turn everything south of the Hindu Kush into molten glass for what Bin Laden's gang did to us, Obama's right. Nuking Waziristan might be considered a bit excessive.

In a political climate where there is more theater than substance, confusing rhetoric and losing the ability to keep "on message" is far more dangerous to political aspirations than any grooming questions, family problems or a sterling record of accomplishments everyone ignores.

The media is unforgiving in these things, parsing nuances to death, catering to the 8 second sound-bytes, ad nauseam, to feed the mindlessness of our two-word culture. Besides, as The Editors Note:

It is generally considered poor form to discuss bombing countries who are not actively hostile to you. Please do not do this. It just makes shit harder.

Unfortunately for Obama, as I noted here in a comment a couple of weeks ago to this post at Taylor Marsh's blog about Obama's announcement of his superior judgment concerning foreign policy -- compared to all the other candidates (including the current Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a Governor who has a record as an international trouble-shooter), it's time to sit back on the couch and see if "Barry" can stay dry as he leaps these shark infested waters.

Seriously, if you arrogantly proclaim your superiority to people who were dealing with dictators and fighting the good fight in Washington D.C. while you were looking for a date for Homecoming, I'm gonna get some popcorn. If you ask me, Obama was asking to be ganged up upon.

But to all our brothers and sisters in Pakistan, and especially you General Musharraf: Chill out folks, take a pill, drink a beer, light up a hooka, sacrifice a virgin, whatever it is you do to relax -- it's only primary season. And more importantly, it's our primary season, not yours. Get your own lame-brain politicians to get upset about.