Posted on 03/23/2006 2:05:26 PM PST by the anti-liberal
Following in Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's footsteps, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice phoned Afghan President Hamid Karzai seeking a "favorable resolution" of the Abdul Rahman case. Not sure why President Bush wasn't on the line. But at least someone called.
Fox News has the story.
More details from the NYT:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke this morning with President Hamid Karzai and discussed the affair "in the strongest possible terms," said the State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack.
"She called specifically on this topic," Mr. McCormack said. "And she urged President Karzai's government to seek a favorable resolution to this case the earliest possible moment." Mr. McCormack said Ms. Rice also told Afghanistan's Foreign Minister, Abdullah Abdullah, in a 15-minute meeting in Washington today that she was deeply troubled by the case, and that the prosecution was "contrary to universal democratic values," which include freedom of religion. Ms. Rice said that the United States fought for those values in Afghanistan, and that the case was contrary to the Afghan constitution, Mr. McCormack said.
The same message came today from the White House, where President Bush's chief spokesman, Scott McClellan, said the Afghan case "clearly violates the universal freedoms that democracies around the world hold dear. And we are watching it very closely."
On Wednesday, President Bush issued a statement that the United States expected Afghan officials to "honor the universal principle of freedom" in the case. Germany, Italy and other countries that have deployed troops in Afghanistan have also issued statements of concern.
Bush issued a statement and had Condi call Karzai.
If they do execute this guy, we should immediately withdraw our troops.
What did she call him? I've a few choice words in mind.
You mean this tepid statement?
"I'm troubled when I hear, deeply troubled when I hear, the fact that a person who has converted away from Islam may be held to account. That's not the universal application of the values that I talked about. I look forward to working with the government of that country to make sure that people are protected in their capacity to worship."
As he's (Bush) is a Christian himself I'd expect a somewhat stronger statement from him.
Color me unimpressed.
"Held to account"? Why is he glossing over what's going on----they're fixing to execute the guy!
You want him to declare war over it or something?
Please FReepmail me if you would like to be added to, or removed from, the Michelle Malkin ping list...
Brit Hume mentioned that this was brought up when Pres. Bush was in WV...Brit said this story must be resonating with the American people if it is brought up in WV. Anyway, Fred Barnes said that his inside sources tell him that the Admin. is moving heaven and earth to stop the gov. from murdering this man.
Karzai will somehow manage to intervene with the courts and get Rahman declared incompetent to stand trial. He'll be released and his headless body will be found a week later. International crisis averted, and islam continues to have its way.
Did he mean Bush's Admin. or Karzai's? Or both jointly?
Classic technique.
Hostage negotiations, buying a car, etc. Never commit the highest authority to an absolute position. You've got nowhere to go if they tell you to take a leap. If Karzai tells Secretary Rice there's nothing he can do, she invokes the diplomatic equivalent of "I'll tell Dad."
"If they do execute this guy, we should immediately withdraw our troops."
Withdraw our troops, stop all financial aid, nuke 'em into a pile of glowing rubble. That place is no better than it was before we "won" the war. Terrorists still operate with impunity and islam still oppresses everyone, only the players have changed. Islam cannot coexist with any religion.
I agree with the withdrawing of troops from Afghan if they kill this guy, or do anything other than release him. What was the sense of freeing these people from the Taliban if they are going to be just as bad as the people they were freed from?
It so troubled Rice
that she called him twice...
Barnes meant the Bush Admin. Barnes basically said that Bush Admin. knows this story has the potential to really turn the American public sour.
I think it would be more expedient to simply use our troops to prevent the execution. I have a feeling that is what Condi suggested when she said that it was discussed "in the strongest possible terms." Leaving is not an option.
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