Those Terrorist Enablers

With dread, on the rational front we are facing a campaign which will have to be negative by historical tradition on the right wing, and because there is no positive campaign for the worst administration in history. At the moment, it's all about scary qualities like failing to wear a flag pin and being caught on camera in front of a flag without holding his hand over his heart by candidate Sen. Obama. Oh, yes, and having Muslims in his family background.

Their dread of terrorists, however, has not kept our wingers from creating a whole passel of them wherever it raises its ugly hand in war. Not admitting that al Qaida was brought into the works in Iraq doesn't equal removing the faction there. It just begs the question of what good this war is doing. The answer to that one is pretty obvious, the only purpose the war criminals have served, besides giving terrorists the status of heroes, is enrichment of war profiteers.

This country went into Afghanistan with some cause, and should have finished by chasing Osama bin Laden down or ousting him and his followers, but its conduct of that war has alienated the populace - those that haven't been outright killed in any case. The war has turned against us there, and again we are serving the terrorists' cause.

The very different reactions to the casualties of American and Nato violence, compared to those inflicted by the Taliban, reflect a desperate confusion about what is happening in Pakistan and how to respond.Unfortunately, as Hoodbhoy notes, U.S. behavior has reinforced such attitudes: There is, of course, reason for people in Pakistan and across the world to feel negatively about America. In pursuit of its self-interest, wealth and security, the United States has for decades waged illegal wars, bribed, bullied and overthrown governments, supported tyrants, undermined movements for progressive change, and now feels free to kidnap, torture, imprison, and kill anywhere in the world with impunity. All this, while talking about supporting democracy and human rights.

Even Americans — or at least the fair-minded ones among them — admit that there is a genuine problem. A June 2008 report of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs entitled The Decline in America’s Reputation: Why? concluded that contemporary anti-Americanism stemmed from “the perception that the proclaimed American values of democracy, human rights, tolerance, and the rule of law have been selectively ignored by successive administrations when American security or economic considerations are in play”.

American hypocrisy has played into the hands of Islamic militants. They have been vigorously promoting the notion that this is a bipolar conflict of Islam, which they claim to represent, versus imperialism. Many Pakistanis, who desperately want someone to stand up to the Americans, buy into this.

The imperialism of the worst administration ever is undeniable. The refusal to deal with chosen enemies using civilized negotiation techniques has made the U.S. easily identifiable by the 'evil axis' as a crusader. The rejection by the U.S. public has grown steadily during the ludicrous misconduct of the occupied White House, unfortunately not in time to save our reputation. The cronies who have been given charge of the conduct of affairs in the executive branch have been uniformly inept, when not downright criminal.

The results are dismally predictable.

At least 45 international troops, including at least 27 Americans, died in Afghanistan in June, the deadliest month since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion to oust the Taliban, according to an Associated Press count.

It was also the second straight month in which militants killed more U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan than in Iraq.

The somewhat justifiable war that was declared over several times by the worst administration ever is now renewed, and we are losing there as well.

A first activity in the new administration must be President Obama's revising the war plan that has brought terrorists into the position of respect they hold. Bombing civilians from afar, the 'boys with toys' warfare, must stop. Our troops need to be brought home, the affairs of those countries we invaded turned over to their native population.

Our military is in shambles, and needs to be renewed after a thorough review and the imposition of honest accounting, and acquisition, standards put into play. More than anything, it will need to be returned a sense of pride in keeping peace, the reason we have a military at all.

The sadly misguided element that keeps returning war criminals to office can be given a new source of pride, in the return of this country to a position of eminence from one of shame and squalor.