Mike Pouraryan
OV Week-End Notes (10/31/2009): What a Busy Day!!!
November 1st 2009 05:49
:
Never a Dull Moment!!!!
Saturday was quite a day!!! The useless Karzai refused to accomodate Dr. Abdullah, his main challenger as the country is gearing up for a second round. There have been stories throughout the day that Dr. Abdullah will withdraw from the second round. I even saw a New York Times report that Dr. Abdullah will in fact withdraw.
What I found disappointing was Secretary Clinton's reaction when asked about the potential withdrawal of Dr. Abdullah. She noted that President Karzai's acceptance of the second round signifed legitimacy already, not withstanding whether Dr. Abdullah will stand or not. The problem is that Karzai has no crediblity at all. If he was running for election in the United States, he would be crucified. Yet, the Adminstration has decided to stand by this man while the country is being ravaged by an increasingly vibrant and hostile insurgency. What the Adminstration should have said to America's man was that he should not be afraid to do the right thing. Karzai's man was in charge while the fraud happened. Does anyone blame Dr. Abdullah for not trusting this guy? It is like putting the fox in charge of the chicken. The Fox will see to it that the chicken are eaten alive. Yet, Karzai does not want to accomodate the changes and the Adminstration is going to let it ride. Unfortunately, it is the wrong move at the wrong time as America is at a crossroads--as the Economist's KAL so eloquently said two weeks ago.
The Secretary was also in the Middle East trying to revive the peace process. The Adminstration, it appears, is backing off the pressure it has put the Israelis on to stop settlement activity. The Israelis are continuing on. Now, the Secretary is trying to get the Palestinians to come to the negotiating table. The Secretary's view is that the Israelis have made unprecendented moves. I respectfully disagree with the position of the Israelis, especially when they are continuing their settlement activities and will end up creating Bantustan-Like enclaves while continuing to encircle Gaza--the world's biggest prison. The Israelis, of course, have a different point of view on this. The Israelis have already taken Jersuleam off the table. So, with all due respect to the Secretary, I am trying to figure out what this "unprecedented" committment by the Israeli side is? As it stands, I regard it as a dead-end unless something drastic changes.
Now, back in the United States, it is election time again!!! Although I am a bit election-weary, the races in New Jersey and Virginia are interseting. But, the one that I have found especially hillarious is the race in upstate New York. The "Official" Republican Candidate withdrew due to the fact that the conservative party's candidate's full court press had just gotten too much. Sarah Palin, Fred Thompson and other "conservative" luminaries have come out behind the Conservative Party candidate. Newt Gingrich was right when he noted that at 20%, you have a great movement. But, to govern, you have to have a 50 1 margin. The conservatives seem not to listen to the old rebel himself--who probably wants to run for President.
The world will know in a few hours the fateful decision by Dr Abdullah. The question will be then, what now?
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