 |
|
December 2, 2014
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon With its colorful cache of purples and oranges and reds, COLLARD GREEN SLAW is a marvelous mood booster --- not to mention just downright delish
April 18, 2014
Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Clarifying one of the greatest philosophical conundrums in theology
John Ericson: Trying hard to be 'positive' but never succeeding? Blame Your Brain
The Kosher Gourmet by Julie Rothman Almondy, flourless torta del re (Italian king's cake), has royal roots, is simple to make, . . . but devour it because it's simply delicious
April 14, 2014
Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer: Passover frees us from the tyranny of time
Eric Schulzke: First degree: How America really recovered from a murder epidemic
Georgia Lee: When love is not enough: Teaching your kids about the realities of adult relationships
Gordon Pape: How you can tell if your financial adviser is setting you up for potential ruin
Dana Dovey: Up to 500,000 people die each year from hepatitis C-related liver disease. New Treatment Has Over 90% Success Rate
Justin Caba: Eating Watermelon Can Help Control High Blood Pressure
April 11, 2014
Rabbi Hillel Goldberg: Silence is much more than golden
Susan Swann: How to value a child for who he is, not just what he does
Susan Scutti: A Simple Blood Test Might Soon Diagnose Cancer
Chris Weller: Have A Slow Metabolism? Let Science Speed It Up For You
April 9, 2014
Jonathan Tobin: Why Did Kerry Lie About Israeli Blame?
Samuel G. Freedman: A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau
Jessica Ivins: A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau
Matthew Mientka: How Beans, Peas, And Chickpeas Cleanse Bad Cholesterol and Lowers Risk of Heart Disease
April 8, 2014
Dana Dovey: Coffee Drinkers Rejoice! Your Cup Of Joe Can Prevent Death From Liver Disease
Chris Weller: Electric 'Thinking Cap' Puts Your Brain Power Into High Gear
April 4, 2014
Amy Peterson: A life of love: How to build lasting relationships with your children
John Ericson: Older Women: Save Your Heart, Prevent Stroke Don't Drink Diet
John Ericson: Why 50 million Americans will still have spring allergies after taking meds
Sarah Boesveld: Teacher keeps promise to mail thousands of former students letters written by their past selves
April 2, 2014
Dan Barry: Should South Carolina Jews be forced to maintain this chimney built by Germans serving the Nazis?
Frank Clayton: Get happy: 20 scientifically proven happiness activities
Susan Scutti: It's Genetic! Obesity and the 'Carb Breakdown' Gene
|
| |
Jewish World Review
April 8, 2010
/ 24 Nissan 5770
Ungrateful Puppet
By
Cal Thomas
| 
|
|
|
| |
|
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless puppet.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has blasted Western governments, which have long supported him, and accused them of interfering in Afghan affairs by pushing hard for reform amidst widespread corruption. Worse, Karzai has threatened to join the Taliban, which he said would then become a legitimate resistance movement if Western meddling in Afghan affairs doesn't stop. Late Tuesday, the White House indicated it, too, could play hardball, saying it might cancel Karzai's trip scheduled for next month, if there are any more anti-Western outbursts.
To paraphrase Lord Alfred Tennyson: ours is not to question why. Ours is but to do for Karzai and die. More than 900 American deaths and more than 5,300 wounded (as of last week) buys the United States and other nations that have contributed treasure and lives to eradicating Afghanistan of the Taliban the right to have some say in the way Karzai runs his government.
Does Karzai mean it when he threatens to cross over to the other side, or is he bluffing, hedging his bets in the wake of President Obama's pledge to begin withdrawing U.S. troops next year? Only he knows for sure, but with the intrigues common in that region of the world, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him switch sides if it suits his interests and those of his brother Ahmed Wali Karzai, who allegedly maintains links with drug dealers and insurgents in southern Afghanistan. President Karzai recently met with Iran's apocalyptic madman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. What do those two have in common? We can only tremble at the prospect of "more than it appears."
The Obama administration has brought some of Karzai's erratic behavior on itself. When Obama was on his way for a surprise visit to Afghanistan, he reportedly criticized the Afghan president and bragged that he would read Karzai the riot act. Worse, his remarks were leaked to the media, which reportedly infuriated Karzai and resulted in the threat to join the Taliban.
| FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO INFLUENTIAL NEWSLETTER |
| Every weekday NewsAndOpinion.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". HUNDREDS of columnists and cartoonists regularly appear. Sign up for the daily update. It's free. Just click here. |
|
For a policy or pronouncement to have credibility it must be attached to a credible threat of action. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said repeatedly — including four times in one recent speech — that it is "unacceptable" for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. But her threats — if that's what they are — have no teeth. Even if the administration gets some form of sanctions, they will not be enough to stop Iran from acquiring nukes. And who believes this administration would order air strikes on Iranian nuclear centers as Ronald Reagan did to Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactor or to Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's compound?
The same is true when it comes to Karzai. What can the U.S. ultimately do to persuade Karzai to clean up corruption in his government, other than jawboning? He might ask us to get the log out of our own eye first by reforming congressional corruption before we concern ourselves with the speck in his eye.
The U.S. has had a history of backing some unsavory characters out of necessity and not always from conviction. There probably is no one better than the current Afghan leader to run the country, however poorly. There could be people who are much worse, including the Taliban, which once ran things and used Afghanistan as a launching pad for the terrorist attacks on America. They would love to do so again. The U.S. is fighting to make sure that does not happen. We must succeed, because, to invoke the cliche that is never truer than in Afghanistan, failure is not an option.
In the pursuit of success, the United States might have to swallow hard and deal with the questionable leader we know so that it doesn't have to deal with the Taliban leaders whose goals we know all too well.
Meanwhile, if Karzai visits the U.S. next month, he might try bringing an olive branch and some solid promises to clean up his act, given all that America has done for him. That seems a small price to pay in exchange for our dead and wounded troops who have tried to help him stabilize his country.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
| BUY THE BOOK |
|  Click HERE to purchase it at a discount. (Sales help fund JWR.). |
|
Cal Thomas Archives JWR contributor Cal Thomas is co-author with Bob Beckel, a liberal Democratic Party strategist, of "Common Ground: How to Stop the Partisan War That is Destroying America". Comment by clicking here.
© 2006, Tribune Media Services, Inc.
|
|
Columnists
Toons
Lifestyles
|
