Article

2009-03-08 Afghanistan

Obama speaks of 'reaching out' to Taliban

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Posted by Fred 2009-03-08 00:00|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top
File under: Taliban

#1 "If your determination to shut your eyes will carry you as far as this, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, "we have reached a parting of the ways. You must act as you see fit. And I - I shall act as I see fit."

Dumbledore's voice carried no hint of a threat; it sounded like a mere statement, but Fudge bristled as though Dumbledore were advancing on him with a wand.

"Now see here, Dumbledore," he said, waving a threatening finger. "I've given you free rein, always. I've had a lot of repect for you. I might not have always agreed with your decisions, but I've kept quiet. There aren't many who'd have let you hire werewolves, or keep Hagrid, or decide what to teach your students without reference to the Ministry. But if you're going to work against me --"

"The only one against whom I intend to work," said Dumbledore, "is Lord Voldemort. If you are against him, then we remain, Cornelius, on the same side."

Excerpt from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling, Scholastic Press, 2000. (Page 709)

Posted by Seafarious 2009-03-08 00:46|| 2009-03-08 00:46|| Front Page Top

#2 Surprise meter?

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2009-03-08 05:31|| 2009-03-08 05:31|| Front Page Top

#3 "These demands are not open to negotiation or discussion. The Taliban must act, and act immediately. They will hand over the terrorists, or they will share in their fate."
George W. Bush, Statement To Joint Session Of Congress September 20th 2001

Since the Taliban did not hand over the terrorists this implies that the reason for Operation ~~Infinite Justice~~ Enduring Freedom is not to bring welfare of some sort to Afghanistan (that may be a welcome side effect, or a means to achieve an end) but the annihilation the the Taliban. It's about retribution, surgical retribution not indiscriminate carpet bombing, but still it is about retribution.

I don't think the Democrats have ever repudiated or even criticized these statements.

The result of such a reconciliation will be a Taliban state, rebuilt with western danegeld, the Taliban not ignored like before 9/11 but ruling with NATO and US blessing.

Even if these "moderates" won't host terrorists openly, they will show to the world that sponsoring a mass fatality attack on the continental US is NOT a deadly mistake.

With this move Obama tells the world that American and western deterrence is based on an empty threat.

Posted by Omereling B. Hayes5245 2009-03-08 05:49|| 2009-03-08 05:49|| Front Page Top

#4 I'm not surprised that he would attempt it, but I am surprised that he would make so many amateurish foreign policy mistakes so early. Didn't the humiliation of Putin bitch-slapping him over his 'secret' letter teach him anything - even temporarily??

Posted by ryuge 2009-03-08 05:52|| 2009-03-08 05:52|| Front Page Top

#5 Obama has not been in office long and already Russia, Iran, North Korea, Islamic radicals in Pakistan and the Taliban in Afghanistan have all seen their hands strengthened. Will the world be able to survive a full four years of his presidency?

Also from the same article on Yahoo:

At the same time, Obama left open the possibility that U.S. operatives might capture terror suspects abroad without the cooperation of a country where they were found.

"There could be situations and I emphasize 'could be' because we haven't made a determination yet where, let's say that we have a well-known al-Qaida operative that doesn't surface very often, appears in a third country with whom we don't have an extradition relationship or would not be willing to prosecute, but we think is a very dangerous person," he said.

It also did not take long for the left-wing hypocrites who rode to power on the heels of America's so-called loss of standing in the world to vindicate the policies of the last administration which have kept America safe for the last seven years!

Posted by Grumenk Philalzabod0723 2009-03-08 06:06|| 2009-03-08 06:06|| Front Page Top

#6 Didn't the humiliation of Putin bitch-slapping him over his 'secret' letter teach him anything

Those who can learn do not remain liberals past their teens.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2009-03-08 06:28|| 2009-03-08 06:28|| Front Page Top

#7 Administration officials criticized a similar move on Thursday by Pakistan to reconcile with the local Taliban leaders

Without Barry, nothing is possible.

Posted by Besoeker 2009-03-08 08:02|| 2009-03-08 08:02|| Front Page Top

#8 Obama sends 17,000 additional US troops into a combat zone and then announces that they can't succeed. Stunning show of support from the CIC.

Posted by DMFD 2009-03-08 09:36|| 2009-03-08 09:36|| Front Page Top

#9 Just following in the grand tradition of the Harry Reid statement "we failed" on Iraq just before the Surge was successfully implemented.

Posted by Omoter Speaking for Boskone7794 2009-03-08 10:01|| 2009-03-08 10:01|| Front Page Top

#10 Those who can learn do not remain liberals past their teens.

LOL g(r)omgoru
I regret to say that it took me a bit longer than that. The scales had to be pried off of my eyes one at a time - haha. Of course, 9-11 took most of the rest off all at once. I wish that were true for more of my fellow citizens. Glad I made it to the promised land though. :-)

Posted by ryuge 2009-03-08 10:11|| 2009-03-08 10:11|| Front Page Top

#11 "Obama has not been in office long and already Russia, Iran, North Korea, Islamic radicals in Pakistan and the Taliban in Afghanistan have all seen their hands strengthened."

For completeness, you forgot the Palestinians and Syria....there's probably others.

Obama has also weakened the hands of Israel and a number of Eastern European allies (Czechs, Poland, etc.) and insulted the British. All, in what, 45 days?

Posted by WacoInMN 2009-03-08 10:20|| 2009-03-08 10:20|| Front Page Top

#12 India, don't forget India, WacoInMN.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2009-03-08 11:31|| 2009-03-08 11:31|| Front Page Top

#13 "#2 Surprise meter?
Posted by g(r)omgoru"

For what, grom? This is no surprise. :-(

Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut 2009-03-08 12:48|| 2009-03-08 12:48|| Front Page Top

#14 Barbara, I think he meant a surprise meter reading zero. Or maybe even below zero.

Posted by Rambler in Virginia">Rambler in Virginia 2009-03-08 14:42|| 2009-03-08 14:42|| Front Page Top

#15 contact with the 'moderate' Taliban elements
Also see: "contact with the 'moderate' Nazi elements" or "Peace in our time."

Posted by Darrell 2009-03-08 15:06|| 2009-03-08 15:06|| Front Page Top

#16 Annihilating Talibanis. What a concept!

Posted by Don Vito Gleter3690 2009-03-08 15:23|| 2009-03-08 15:23|| Front Page Top

#17 Good point, Rambler.

Good point about the minus zero, too.

Why don't I pretend I'm Obama and explain that I'm ~~stuffed up from a bad cold and can't think straight~~ overwhelmed?

Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut 2009-03-08 15:25|| 2009-03-08 15:25|| Front Page Top

#18 Obama sends 17000 troops to danger zone

They are in danger of vbeing captured if Pakistan closes the supply lines. And it is Obama who decides when to evacuate them...

Posted by JFM">JFM 2009-03-08 16:18|| 2009-03-08 16:18|| Front Page Top

#19 Obama and Disaster will soon be a tautology.

Posted by Bright Pebbles the flatulent 2009-03-08 17:40|| 2009-03-08 17:40|| Front Page Top

#20 I will be amazed if some nut job doesn't take a shot at our socialist leader after his financial and foreign policy moves. And then its gonna get UGLY.

Posted by Hellfish 2009-03-08 17:50|| 2009-03-08 17:50|| Front Page Top

#21 LBJ, Carter and Clinton taught me all I need to know about Democrats so I knew before he took office that Obama would be bad. But it is a bit surprising to see him stumbling so badly so soon out of the blocks. Lord help us all, he sounds just like Zardari making a deal to let the Taliban have Swat. Even if it is a mistake to stay there in perpetuity, do we have to "reach out"? How about if we reach out with some arclights on their sanctuaries in PakiWakiland? Then, just for kicks, we can ask the Pakis what they plan to do about it.

Posted by Abu Uluque 2009-03-08 18:27|| 2009-03-08 18:27|| Front Page Top

#22 Abu: LBJ, Carter and Clinton are certainly capable of being all the object lessons you need to know about Demoncrats; but, you can include JFK as well (the first one I was aware of) too.

Posted by AlanC 2009-03-08 18:35|| 2009-03-08 18:35|| Front Page Top

#23 I don't remember Kennedy that well. I remember him promise to put a man on the moon, give him credit for that. I remember the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban missile crisis. I think he got too much credit for the Cuban missile crisis and not enough blame for the Bay of Pigs. Dunno but can't help thinking maybe one thing led to another there. He dithered on Vietnam, left it as unfinished business which LBJ proceeded to turn into an unmitigated disaster. The one thing I could never, ever forgive him for was LBJ. Just hope there is no parallel there with Joe Biden. Just hope. I really, seriously don't want the country going through that again. I remember JFK getting shot but I don't canonize him for it. He was no saint. We've learned in later years just what a slimy guy he was. The press gave him a pass for his womanizing and I can't forgive them for that either. They had stars in their eyes and dreams of Camelot but their Camelot was full of snakes. PTUI.

Posted by Abu Uluque 2009-03-08 19:02|| 2009-03-08 19:02|| Front Page Top

#24 You forgot the Berlin Wall, also a Kennedy legacy.

Posted by balthazar 2009-03-08 19:08|| 2009-03-08 19:08|| Front Page Top

#25 Why don't I pretend I'm Obama and explain that I'm stuffed up from a bad cold and can't think straight overwhelmed?

Poor Barbara -- get well soon, my dear.

Glad I made it to the promised land though. :-)

I feel the same way about my own journey, ryuge. I suspect a great many Rantburgers do. It will be interesting to see how many experience Buyer's Remorse over their vote last November.

Posted by trailing wife ">trailing wife 2009-03-08 19:50|| 2009-03-08 19:50|| Front Page Top

#26 Thanks, tw. It's been so long since I've been sick I'd forgotten how much it sucks. :-(

Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut 2009-03-08 20:28|| 2009-03-08 20:28|| Front Page Top

23:33 JosephMendiola
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