DC Cabbies Like McChrystal
3-2. Lydia Khalil at the Washington Post:
In an admittedly unscientific poll of the last five taxi rides I took with South Asian drivers, Abdullah and Mohamed claimed that the U.S. is ruining Afghanistan and making matters worse in Pakistan with drone strikes that are killing more civilians than terrorists. Najeeb and Ibrahim said it’s a travesty that the U.S. is considering reducing its commitment to Afghanistan after all the pledges to rebuild. They are convinced the Taliban will regain power in double time if the U.S doesn’t change things up soon. Ahmed wholeheartedly endorsed the McChrystal report and claimed he heard about it even before it was leaked.
Alas, it appears as if city cabbies are just as divided as the rest of the so-called experts.
I get a slightly different take off that. Out of five immigrants with Islamic-sounding names from the region in question, three want the United States to get on with it, big time. The other two just don’t like the status quo, which isn’t exactly an opinion on which way to go, though with regard to drone strikes, is a distinctly non-Bidenian position.
(With the Paks pushing into Waziristan, and Allied heat on Afghanistan, those drone attacks could become a thing of the past. As noted by Peter Bergen and Pak news reports, anyway, the drones and the Pak incursion apparently are wildly popular in Waziristan, where a lot of the locals have had it with the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The objections tend to intensify the farther you get from Waziristan.)
More to the point, Khalil continues:
And herein lies the lesson for the Obama administration: decide already. No matter how many more opinions you seek, they will be contrasting and conflicting. There is no hidden oracle within the Beltway or beyond that will provide the answer.
…
Obama’s admirable instinct to consult is getting in the way of the urgent need to move forward. The season for consultation is over. The longer Obama hesitates the louder the doubts grow over whether the U.S. is still able to lead and whether the ultimate decision is the right one.
The question remains: Does Obama have the audacity to decide?
Just ask Najeeb: “The President needs to get on with it already. It’s no good this waiting.”
I’m with Najeeb. A big shout out, while we’re at it, to all the hardworking Muslims out there who just want to make a living in the land of opportunity. Welcome to America, Najeeb. Raise your children to love this country. This kind of freedom doesn’t grow on trees.
The above is part of the Washington Post’s serach for a new pundit. I say hire Najeeb. Meanwhile, here’s Surber with his top pundit of 2008: SNL comic Victoria Jackson.
Oh yeah, and donate via Team Marines.
Topics: Afghanistan, Obama, cabbies
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 9:28 am on Tuesday, November 3, 2009
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November 3rd, 2009 at 5:00 pm
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