[caww]

Perry’s comments regarding AgA Khan....

Let us work together for the common good, knowing we are united by a common bond of humanity. We have a joint mission that transcends all differences, to make the world a better place. We are so fortunate to have an international leader who bridges those differences, who bridges East and West, to build one path to peace and prosperity, His Highness, the Aga Khan.

[Steel Wolf]

Yeah, this reads like the transcript from an Army / shaykh or jirga meeting. I spent most of the last decade commuting between here and various Islamic hellhole, and I'm familiar with the flowery prose. That said, I can also tell a Salafist from an Ismaili. Some types of Muslims are worse than others.

Some Muslims, like Obama's friends in the Society of the Muslim Brothers, are murderous Islamists theocrats and the forefathers of al-Qa'ida. Others, like Bush's friends in the House of Saud, are meta-hypocritical playboys paying off 'Islamic charities' across the globe to turn the Sunni world Wahabbist to the tune of billions.

Ismailis are a small, docile branch of Islam that the big brands dislike. The kind that, while still backwards and ignorant, are at least generally harmless. Clearly, someone did their homework in reaching out to this particular sect.

While I'd be perfectly happy in a world without Islam, I also realize that much of our strategic interest lies in playing the sects against each other, and that's probably true in politics too. Once you rise high enough, you can't duck the existence of Muslim voters. If you're going to pick a group, you'll want a small, friendly type like this.