Posted on 10/29/2009 11:33:36 AM PDT by VRWCTexan
Uh oh, ole Hitlery must have missed the memo from Odumbo telling her to remember that it’s always our fault, no matter what, no matter where, no matter who.
Paging Hitlery. Paging Hitlery. Pick up the red courtesy phone. Rambo wants to talk with you.
Has Zero apologized to Al Qaeda for Mrs. Bill Clinton’s outburst?
Wow, the blind pig found an acorn; it happens every once in a while.
She took part in a televised media roundtable over there, and this was part of that exchange I believe. The Pakistani journos took it solidly to her, looks like she gave it back too.
Thing about Pakistan now is, if it descends into chaos, how the heck will we ever know :>>
The country’s under a virtual lockdown anyway.
In fact, the US media travelling with her were moved into trailers in the US Embassy compound rather than being allowed to stay at the Islamabad Serena. Don’t think the Marriott’s been rebuilt yet.
April 8th
Tensions emerge in Pakistan-US relations
The body language said it all.
The normally urbane and mild-mannered Pakistani Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, was firm and spoke in categorical terms.
Meanwhile, Richard Holbrooke chatted quietly with Admiral Mike Mullen - an act that, whatever the intention, was perceived as rude and contemptuous by those present.
The US special envoy and chairman of joint chiefs of staff were holding a press conference with Mr Qureshi after “frank” discussions.
There were two main bones of contention.
One was American missiles strikes carried out against suspected militants on Pakistani soil by unmanned drones. These are expected to continue and possibly increase, despite objections from Islamabad.
“We did talk about drones and let me be frank, there’s a gap between us and them,” Mr Qureshi told journalists.
American officials have implied that the government has given tacit agreement to a tactic which they say has eliminated al-Qaeda operatives and disrupted the group.
But the missiles also kill civilians and are deeply unpopular. Critics argue the strikes compound anti-Americanism, deepen resentment of the government and further destabilise the country.
Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported that the Americans were asked by government officials to transfer the drone technology and authority to the Pakistan Army. Adm Mullen dodged the question.
Mr Qureshi’s terse statement about the drone attacks reflects a solid consensus in both political and military circles against the policy, the latest of which was a statement by a parliamentary committee on national security that condemned the strikes in the “strongest terms” and demanded an immediate end to them.
The second bone of contention was what’s perceived here as an American “slander campaign” against Pakistan’s main military intelligence agency, the ISI.
Since the announcement of Mr Obama’s strategy, American generals have publicly voiced long-held suspicions that elements of the ISI are supporting some militants, including the Afghan Taleban.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7989236.stm
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Again all articles in the so called papers of record - NY Times - WaPo ahead of Hillary’s visit, stressed that she was going there (as Sec of State) to improve tense relations - not make them worse
>.not make them worse
Dunno if responding to aggressive journalists requires turning the other cheek but she didn’t, appropriate, IMO, since this was not a diplomatic conclave.
And what’s wrong with speaking the truth to the Pakistanis.
Bush gave them 11 Billion Dollars.
Obama is set to give 8 over the next few years.
That much cash allows you to to needle them, I believe.
Don’t get me wrong, I agree the Paki’s are double dealing and the US needs to be very firm -
However Hillary knows full well that in that region of the world, you take folks to task in private if you are really looking for a positive change in future behavior - rather than embarrassing them in public.
Only time will tell
Holbrooke has so throughly hacked off the Afgan gov’t that it was necessary to send in John Kerry to gain any traction for a re-vote -— and it appears that he has also not done the US much good in Pakistan ?
Yes, but this was a TV show and she got it from all sides.
Agree on the privacy of diplomacy, but this was in response to US ineffectiveness in finding and nailing Osama.
Pakistan was OK with Karzai, last thing they want is Abdullah from the old Northern Alliance in there.
Hence the total incompetence of the Obama strategy.
It does seem to have pissed everyone off, and accomplished nothing.
I can’t believe I am saying this but....... I wish we had democrats more like the Clintons and less like Obama and Pelosi.
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