A Different View of the Election in Afghanistan

The Times: Reports on the election in Afghanistan. The paper of record has a more negative view of the election in Afghanistan, it points to the low turnout due to the threat from the Taliban to cut fingers of those that voted in the election and the violence of the Taliban on election day that prevent some polls opening in Afghanistan. I think it can be argued that this is to negative, yes, there are problems, but Afghanistan did hold its second Presidential Election since 2001, people did vote. The development of a civic society in Afghanistan is going to take time; it is the job of the Western Forces to bring security to Afghanistan and for the Government of Afghanistan to help in the economic and social development of Afghanistan. Thus, the new government has to crack down on corruption, it has to build schools for both genders, it has to show the farmers of Afghanistan than growing food is more profitable that growing drugs. All this will take time, let us hope not 40 years but it will take time, let’s hope the West has the nerve to stay in Afghanistan.

Outsourcing Assassination by the CIA ?

The New York Times: Reports that the CIA hired Blackwater, a private company to help in its War on Terror, the NYT writes the following, " It is unclear whether the C.I.A. had planned to use the contractors to actually capture or kill Qaeda operatives, or just to help with training and surveillance in the program. " What is interesting is that the above quote is the fourth paragraph, so you have to read down the article to get to the fact that the Liberal NYT does not have a story, the mind set of the Liberal New York Times is pre - 9/11, it equates the terrorists group Al Qeada with a state. It is illegal under US law to kill a Foreign Leader, the NYT in their heart of hearts see no difference between Cuba and Al Qaeda, that's is why the Liberal NYT has released state secrets at the expense of the National Security of the USA. Lets be honest here the Liberal New York Times would not use CIA drones to kill terrorists on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, they would want their rights read to them, they would never support use of Special Forces to kill terrorists if that prevented the use of Drones that might kill innocent people. One can postulate that if the New York Times had acted like this in World War 1 and 2 they would have been closed down as a threat to National Security.

The Count in Afghanistan

BBC News: Reports on the election count in the Presidential Election in Afghanistan. It seems on the whole that the Taliban/Terrorists didn't really have that much of an effect on the whole, in some areas their threats have worked, but on the whole a clear and fair election for Afghanistan. That is not to say that it would past muster in the West, but then the Presidential Elections in the USA in 1960 and 2000 didn't really pass the smell test for historians. This is the second Presidential Election since 2001, so on the whole not bad Afghanistan.