Re: Hillary 'to announce 2008 plans'
^
Female president and Black Vice. President at the same time :D
that won't happen atleast at this point & time.
Re: Hillary 'to announce 2008 plans'
Besides the Taliban every terrorist plot uncovered these days has a connection to Pakistan. What do you think will happen when a plot is successfully executed and the trail leads back to Pakistan?
This is exactly the kind of misinterpreted xenophobia that is displayed by Democrats. If you want to debate these issues, feel free to start a new thread on this topic, however, I stick to my position that a Democratic President at this time is likely to be very bad news for Pakistan. Much of it will just be change for change's sake, to be deemed different than the silly ol' Bush.
I'd much prefer a McCain, who is wisened and knows the realities of this world. Even Guiliani will be preferable than any Democratic hack.
Re: Hillary 'to announce 2008 plans'
UTD stated facts and a very real hypothesis based on those facts. That hardly qualifies as xenophobia.
I don't see the next president's party affiliation as an important factor in his/her dealings w/Pakistan. That is a generalization and stereotype, as is referring to all the dems as hacks.
Any change won't necessarily be for change sake, but for a better policy. UTD is right, if the trail for the next attack or plot leads back to Pakistan - THAT will be bad news for Pakistan. So anything that can be done to minimize extremists' power and ability to maneuver in Pakistan will actually benefit Pakistan in the long run. And hopefuly that will be the goal of the next administration, instead of turning a blind eye to it as they do now.
Re: Hillary 'to announce 2008 plans'
No one has a crystal ball, of course, but if recent history is any guide, Democratic Presidencies have come down unusually hard on Pakistan, much more so than Republican Presidencies. May be its just a matter of circumstances or may be its a matter of policy. Bush is no friend of Pakistan, either. Not by a long shot, but he and his security team realize the realities on the ground.
This being a Pakistani discussion board, and me being a Pakistani, I am giving you my perspective. Yours is obviously different, coming from a different background. However, to balance it out, as a muslim living in these United States, Democratic administrations are generally perceived to be better in terms of civil rights. Whether that will be true in the future, especially vis-a-vis muslims, remains to be seen.
Re: Hillary 'to announce 2008 plans'
I hope a dem administration will be better in terms of civil rights, vis-a-vis Muslims and everyone else. This one has been inching us closer to gestapoism, it shouldn't be hard to surpass.
I don't know if Bush and his team realize the realities of anything. To me they have indicated just the opposite.
I think any perceived democratic handling of Pakistan has been because of circumstances. If Musharraf hadn't helped in the defeat of Taliban, the relationship would have been very, very different.
Re: Hillary ‘to announce 2008 plans’
did anyone watch paula zahn when she accidentally called Obama “Osamah” instead of Obama? 
it was hilarious because she was actually conducting a show on Obama’s muslim middle name.
Re: Hillary 'to announce 2008 plans'
2008 main..aatth jama chaar saatth. (8+4=60) :)
Re: Hillary 'to announce 2008 plans'
Faisal, labeling me or the Democratic party as xenophobia is laughable. I want Pakistan to have a robust economy and long term stability, I think you want the same thing. Getting there means scrubbing the ISI and other Pakistani agencies for those who are still sympathetic towards the Taliban and aQ terrorists. Pakistan has a tumor and it has the capability to cause serious damage to Pakistan if it's allowed to remain.
Re: Hillary 'to announce 2008 plans'
UTD
hopefully dems would take care of of the US tumours that are engaged in extra government secret covert activities, as well as bring to justice agencies that have thrust this country into unnecesary wars based on faulty intelligence.
While I hope that dems in power toss out laws such as enemy combatant stuff and close of facilities liek gitmo, I also hope they go a step further and erase the secret evidence type of laws that slick willie had instituted.
Re: Hillary 'to announce 2008 plans'
What you and I want Pakistan to have is another discussion. One which I will be happy to participate in with you, if for nothing else than for me to give my perspective on Pakistan and what I deem as misconceptions about government support for terrorism and things that you may believe to be hard, irrefutable facts. However, as far as Democratic Presidencies go, which is the topic of this discussion, their track record is not stellar insofar as Pakistan is concerned. Thats the reason I am wary of them. However, as I said before, on civil liberties etc, they are perceived to be better, so if a Democrat becomes Prez, thats generally good news for muslims in the US.
Iraq is in such a messed up situation right now that whatever US will do is just gonna make it worse. In my view, there is nothing a Democratic or Republican president can do now to fix it. A quick or phased retreat of American troops will still enflame the region in a bloody and protracted sectarian and civil war. This was a pandora box that was better left unopened, and now that it is open, the only way for it to be salvaged is for respected, states-men like leaders to emerge amongst Iraq's shiites and sunnis to control the violence. So anyone expecting a Democratic President to swipe a magic wand and solve the problem is delusional.
Re: Hillary 'to announce 2008 plans'
question is does someone really want to be a president after this mess? I mean when u inherit so much of a mess, you are not going to be able to clean up in like 6 months, so great part of your presidency is spent fixing errors of last 8 years (and in some cases 12 years) ..
does that president have any hope for a second term? what about the impact on the party that fields that candidate. There is no way that in 4 years someone can fix all this mess and actually do something to charge forward.
but then the same could have been said for Bill Clinton since he inherited the smorgasboard of crap from Bush Sr and was able to make a change and get a second term out of it too.
thoughts?
edited: fixed my 50 million typos
Re: Hillary 'to announce 2008 plans'
It will take a miracle and many many years to clean up Bush's mess. So I agree the next president will have a tough time coming out a good guy/gal in 4 years time. But if things are obviously getting better (that shouldn't be too hard to do), who knows? I think Hillary and Bill will have as good chance as any (and better than any Republican) of making a go of it.