Obama to Talk Turkey, Dilemma of Pakistan

Grenville Byford
Terry Goddard, AG of Arizona


"Ronald Reagan called for the abolishment of 'all nuclear weapons,' which he considered to be 'totally irrational, totally inhumane, good for nothing but killing, possibly destructive of life on earth and civilization.' " - Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, William J. Perry, Sam Nunn 

Tomorrow, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will announce that some defense programs are going on the chopping block. Washington Monthly reports: "The programs many expect to face huge cuts or cancellation include the Army’s Future Combat Systems program; the Transformational Communications Satellite program; the Navy’s DDG-1000 destroyer program; and the VH-71 presidential helicopter program. Some cuts or procurement delays are also expected for the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft program.

Ballistic missile defense, which represents the Pentagon’s largest acquisitions program, also could be on the chopping block. Futuristic missile defense components are at particular risk, including the Airborne Laser Program, the Kinetic Energy Interceptor, the Space Based Interceptor, along with plans to begin construction on two missile defense sites in Eastern Europe.

Many observers on Capitol Hill are also anxiously awaiting what Gates might say about the fate of the Pentagon’s troubled effort to buy a new fleet of aerial refueling tankers, whether the new administration wants to build a new bomber aircraft, and whether the president wants to continue buying F-22 Raptor fighters."

President Obama is on his way to Turkey, for a historic moment being the first time an American President will speak in an Islamic country. Turkey was carefully chosen, not only to help solidify our relationship with it, but because it represents a melting pot of all Islamic cultures as well as integrating European influence. He is also hoping that Turkey will help open relations with its neighbors that we are not on good terms with, like Syria and Iran.

Grenville Byford writes in Newsweek: "The Bush administration spent years trying to isolate people the Turkish government thought should be engaged—Iran, Syria, Hizbullah, Hamas, to name a few. The Obama administration broadly endorses engagement. Turkish-American relations are therefore about to change from being good despite fundamental disagreement to being a genuine meeting of minds. Some people in Washington have been screaming that Turkey's increasingly good relations with the countries in its neighborhood means it is "turning away from the West." Apparently they view international relations as a form of monogamy in which it's evidently dangerous to go out on a date. In fact, international relations are like business partnerships. An extensive Rolodex greatly increases a partner's value.

President Obama's visit this week to Turkey will also be unusual because, for once, America wants more from Turkey than Turkey wants from America. Turkey will respond generously because Barack Obama is likely to be around for a long time, and he will certainly remember anyone who helped make his first major foreign trip a success."

The thornier problem is what will we do with Pakistan? It's the key to winning any kind of war in the region, yet its a conflicted mess, from the military that historically has supported the different Talibans, both philosophically and materially, to what is seen as a weakened and corrupt civil government. We cannot just go in and take over like we tried in Iraq, and we cannot just pour money in without seeing any material results.

There is a long article on the recent history of Pakistan in the NY Times: "Pakistan feels as if it’s falling apart. Last fall the country barely avoided bankruptcy. The tribal areas, which border on Afghanistan, remain a vast Taliban sanctuary and redoubt. The giant province of Baluchistan, though far more accessible, is racked by a Baluchi separatist rebellion, while American officials view Quetta, Baluchistan’s capital, as Taliban HQ. American policy has arguably made the situation even worse, for the Predator-drone attacks along the border, though effective, drive the Taliban eastward, deeper into Pakistan. And the strategy has been only reinforcing hostility to the United States among ordinary Pakistanis."

Its felt that the current Prime Minister is doing things similar to what George Bush did, surround himself with like-minded cronies, only his are slightly different: "The issue that comes up again and again is Zardari’s supplanting of competent figures in favor of a tight, and isolating, circle of loyalists, friends from prison days and family members. Rehmat Shah Afridi, the publisher of The Frontier Post, a former boon companion of Zardari and still, he says, a confidant, speaks much more fondly of Pakistan’s president than do many others. “He is a very good friend,” Afridi says. “He never thinks, You are a small man, or a poor man, and I am a big man.” But even Afridi says that Zardari’s fatal weakness is his habit of trusting his friends — or the wrong friends. He recalls visiting Zardari last spring and saying: “Please, Asif, who is on your left and right? If they did some good for you when you were in prison, give them some portfolio, but don’t put them in your kitchen cabinet.” Zardari, he says, “is surrounded by the most corrupt people, from Karachi and Khyber.” I asked Afridi why Zardari consorts with these characters. “Because,” he said, “they know how to butter him.”

The solution may be that we will have to wait until Zardari can be replaced: "American officials, increasingly convinced both that Zardari is not the interlocutor they had hoped for and that his days in power may be numbered, have begun to pay more attention to Sharif, long considered dangerously close to Islamist forces. Leading PML-N officials say they have learned from past mistakes. They have learned, for example, to accept an independent media and an independent judiciary. It’s not clear if Sharif himself has profited from experience. In the course of a phone conversation last week, he passed up all opportunities for self-scrutiny and advocated a response to terrorism that combined dialogue with tribal elders and economic and social development; military force was apparently not part of the equation." Until then, we won't be making progress, just pouring money down the rabbit hole and slowly turning the entire population of two more countries against us. We already tried bribing the Afghan Taliban, even invited some to a Texas barbecue; and when they said no, we invaded their country. Maybe if we legalize heroin so then we become their biggest customer, outbidding the Taliban for each crop of poppies, we shore them up economically and strengthen years of traditional agriculture...

Late night jokes:

"Hey, happy birthday, former Vice President Al Gore, who is 61 years old. And besides being Al Gore's birthday, it is also the 116th anniversary of the invention of the zipper, both of which played a major role in the Clinton Administration." --Jay Leno

"Let's see what's going on in Washington, or as they're now calling it, 'Survivor: Detroit!'" --Jay Leno

"As you know, economists have been predicting the U.S. auto industry would be in big trouble. See, that's why I have so many cars. I've been stockpiling. I was smart. I knew this would happen." --Jay Leno

"President Obama is giving General Motors 60 days to come up with strategy of viability for the American taxpayers' money. You know what G.M. should have said? 'Hey, you first.'" --Jay Leno

"Actually, President Obama guarantees that if you buy a G.M. or Chrysler product and they don't survive, they will back your warranty. Well, that's great news for consumers. Combine the efficiency of the Federal government with the honesty of car mechanics." --Jay Leno

"Actually, this is highly unusual for the government to take this kind of action. I mean, the closest the previous administration came to getting involved in the car industry was Bush using jumper cables to jump-start Dick Cheney's heart." --Jay Leno

"You know the big story yesterday? President Obama, he goes to the GM people and he says, 'All right, look, guys, do you want any more dough? You're going to have to get rid of your C.E.O., that Rick Wagoner. Tell him to take a hike and literally take a hike because he's not getting a car out of here.' So he's gone. So he gets dumped. In addition to getting dumped, he receives a $20 million bonus to resign. Let that be a lesson to you other two big carmaker heads." --David Letterman

"But Wagoner needs the $20 million because he got a G.M. car." --David Letterman

"But you know what he's doing there? It's the G20 summit, in which the 20 major economic powers get together and meet. And sadly, this year, the U.S. just missed the cut." --David Letterman

"But President Obama - this is going to be big, look for this announcement. President Obama is meeting with the Queen of England. He is going to ask her if she wants America back." --David Letterman

"I think Obama will have a great time in London. It's a lovely place. I used to live there. There are 12 million people in London and about 500 teeth." --Craig Ferguson

"Today, Salt Lake International Airport introduced a new X-ray machine at the airport that can see underneath your clothing. Security officials say this is necessary to make sure that no passengers smuggle on their dignity." --Jimmy Fallon