Well that sure screws up a perfectly good chance to knee jerk.
That's quite different from the AP story thread where I ripped him a new one.
Thank God. I thought Frist had lost his mind over this.
Should have known it was the MSM at their best (worst!).
Sounds like "I didn't say what I said and I'll say it again" to me.
You are right -- your link is perfect. Folks need to go to it and read down through the entries.
Damn, I JUSt sent an e-mail to Frist begging him to issue a clarification....I swear
If I'm reading what you provided correctly, Frist provided an updated clarification of his earlier remarks. But what were his earlier remarks, exactly? Or are they there and I missed them? Thx
Ping.
I wondered when I read the first reports if this was another media hack job. I couldn't imagine Frist saying that--as presented, anyway.
That's why the AP is called "Advocacy Press."
Good. I loathe him a little less.
The lamestream media along with the dimwits coming upon this election is in NON STOP lying....as I remember this happened in 2004...shouldn't surprise any of us.
Perdogg- You had it right on the original thread!
Good. I knew there was an explanation.
This is exactly what was said about the Sunni insurgents in Iraq. They can enter the government....those who haven't been terrorists.
Sorry to burst your little bubble here folks, but Frist's "clarification" of his statements are not that different from what the AP has reported on his statements.
Yes, the AP article was much more harsh, but the difference is semantics. Frist clearly says we cannot win the war in Afghanistan militarily, and that instead we should "win hearts and minds" (a liberal approach to the War On Terror if there ever was one).
Since we cannot win the war militarily (according to Frist) and since the Taliban and Afghan Muslims will never accept us as an authority we cannot win "hearts and minds" either.
Frist is basically saying we should try a different approach with the Taliban. Why? Because many Afghans think the way they do and many Afghans support them.
Let us be very clear on one thing. The Taliban harbored, protected, supplied and directly supported Al-Qaeda, the same terrorist organization responsible for almost 3,000 american citizens dead and many thousands all over the world. If we even think about allowing the Taliban to join any kind of future government of Afghanistan then we can call the WoT off right now. At the same time, I'd like to see this administration face the families of the fallen soldiers who have fought on behalf of America in this War On Terror.
The question that remains is simple. Do we seek to democratize Islamic nations or not? Obviously there are two ways to handle this problem. One is cleaner, but impossible in my opinion. The other is messier, but doable if one takes into account the moral sacrifices which will have to be made. Will we force fascist regimes to democratize themselves? Will we seek to empower Muslim "moderates"? (if there is even such of a thing, I'm doubtful). Or, will we eradicate Muslim fundamentalism by striking massive blows to the heart of the Islamic world until they will eventually surrender or be annihilated? Whatever we must do, let this administration choose a serious course of action and stick with it. Make no mistake, if current trend continues we will lose this war and our dead body count will be unimaginable.
Consider this:
Allow the Taliban to rule in Afghaninstan.
Allow Hezbollah to have a stronghold in Lebanon.
Allow Syria to be a rampant terrorist aiding regime.
Allow Iran to acquire nukes and thus encouraging other Muslim nations to acquire nukes as well.
Allow Muslim fascists to take control of Somalia, which in turn will expand Muslim fundamentalism further in Africa.
Allow Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to play us for fools while clearly supporting terrorist organizations financially and otherwise.
Allow the Muslim world to extort us using the almighty "black gold".
And all of this without even mentioning North Korea, China, dictatorships such as Venezuela and Cuba, and even Russia who is not to be trusted under any scenario.
If we don't get serious about this monumental endeavor right now, our children and grandchildren will have to.
I'm sorry to say Frist has screwed the pooch. You may stick a fork in him, he is done.
How is this much different then what he said before? It may be massaged to not be as bluntly defeatist, but it's sure there inbetween the lines.
We CAN stablize through military means. The trouble is that our military is being restrained for fear of "world opinion".
No, Senator, you don't have my vote in '08. Unfortunately I've yet to stumble on anyone I know is running that deserves it either.
Having discussed the situation with commanders on the ground, I believe that we cannot stabilize Afghanistan purely through military means...
National reconciliation is...
Reading between the lines hes spouting demotalk.
FYI Ping
It's to the point where there is no aspect of media reporting that can be trusted. NONE