Jack & Jill Politics

I have to say I’m pretty stunned at the lack of gravity in the American press over what’s going on in Afghanistan and Pakistan. If it weren’t for the President who has dragged the sorry behinds of the current Taliban appeasers — Karzai & Zardari here to DC to hand them some nuts, I’m not even sure it would be in the news much at all. What am I talking about?

Pakistan’s military recently launched an assault on militants in Taliban-held areas, after the Taliban seized territory in violation of an agreement signed this year by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

The deal, criticized by the United States, allowed the Taliban to implement Islamic law, or sharia, in the region in exchange for an end to fighting.

Normally I am a pacifist — I actually marched with many other thousands of people in protest against the Iraq War before it started in front of then-Vice President Cheney’s house. When it comes to Al Qaeda and their allies the Taliban, I feel pretty much the same about them as people must have felt about the Nazis. These are people who present a serious global threat and must be stopped — at all costs. Their political movement must stop and so must their aggression on Pakistan. The Taliban is now only 60 miles outside of Islambad, the capital of Pakistan. 60 miles is like a drive to the nearest Wal-Mart for a lot of people in the U.S. If they succeed in capturing the capital & taking over the government, that gives them access to nuclear weapons. Taliban + Al Qaeda + Nukes = Something Bad Happening, Maybe Even Here. Smart people have started to give warning.

The U.S. military’s primary focus needs to shift immediately from Iraq to Afghanistan, Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Monday.

“We remain committed to the mission we’ve been given in Iraq — make no mistake. … But Afghanistan has been an economy of force operation for far too long,” he said at a Pentagon news conference.

Mullen said he is “gravely concerned” about recent Taliban and al-Qaeda gains across much of southern Afghanistan and in Pakistan.

“This isn’t about ‘can do’ anymore. This is about ‘must do,’ ” Mullen said. The Taliban and al-Qaeda are “recruiting through intimidation, controlling through fear, and advancing an unwelcome ideology through thuggery. … The consequences of their success directly threaten our national interests in the region and our safety here at home.”

The Taliban ain’t nothing but thugs. The same thugs who continue to aid and abet the people who brought us 9/11 plus several other fresher horrors in places like Mumbai, Madrid and London. Everyone knows that:

Where the Taliban are strongest the opium harvests are the heaviest.

BTW, did you know that Afghanistan provides something like 80% of the world’s opium? I know one of Obama’s favorite shows is the Wire and for shizzle, I’m glad at least someone’s gotten on the good foot. But this is not a show on HBO about a messed up city afflicted by drugs. This is reality TV involving a couple of countries taken over by ultraconservative drug dealers. Sort of like the Mafia but way, way more crazy. More Scarface-y maybe. I mean, let’s be real.

Here’s what Brother Obama has to say:

“We meet today as three sovereign nations joined by a common goal: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qaeda and its extremist allies in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their ability to operate in either country in the future,” Obama said. He also pledged to support efforts to build the capacity of local governments in Afghanistan and to “stand up to corruption that blocks progress” in that country.

He said the United States “must do more than stand against those who would destroy Pakistan; we must stand with those who want to build Pakistan.” Noting that he has asked Congress for “sustained funding” to build schools, roads and hospitals there, he said he wants Pakistanis “to understand that America is not simply against terrorism — we are on the side of their hopes and their aspirations.”

I applaud the efforts to prevent the loss of civilian lives including evacuating the region under fire. But if the Taliban and Al Qaeda are not stopped, many more people will suffer. I am grateful we have a president who is finally taking the sitch serious. Obama’s tough unlike old limp Bush who despite all his tough talk managed to actually lose 2 wars at the same time. The one thing that surprises me is the reluctance of other nations to join the fight. No one nation can prevail against Al Qaeda — they are like cockroaches. It’s gonna take a full global family effort and an integrated approach (exterminator, covering jars, wiping spills, roach motel, stompin’ em) to rid our international house of these deadly pests.