Why does the Pakistani Government continue to prop up the Taliban?  According to the NY Times in a recent editorial,  ”Hawkish leaders in the army remains to focused on a perceived thread from India and not jihadist along the Western border of Afghanistan.”   Richard Engel, in an easy to understand interview with Rachel Maddow describes how the Taliban has broken its agreement with Pakistan and begun to invade an area that is 65 miles from Islamabad called Buner.  

After 9/11 the Taliban has moved deeper and deeper in Pakistan, of which the Pakistani government has alllowed the Taliban to control these mountainous areas.   These areas have been virtually ignored by the US Government, and the troops currently in Afghanastan.  So, in essence, the Bush Administration by proxy has propped up the Taliban rather than limit their activities since they decided to invade Iraq.  Hopefully, President Obama can develop a clearer strategy in this area including listening to the comments of his Secretary of State, whom has described the Taliban as a “existential threat” to Pakistan.   Continuing to allow the Taliban control over these areas could reinforce an Al-Qaeda threat which could present a future problem to the United States.

Barack Obama and The New Place of American Power — John Hughes
A Swat Down for Pakistan — and Obama — Christian Science Monitor 
Even If It Works, US Shouldn’t Torture — RealClearPolitics 
Over The Limit — NY TIMES  
Perez Hilton’s Hypocritical Rantings — Washington Post

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(Defend Your Vote US Headquarters in New York)  Taking the bull by the horns Secretary of State Hillary Clinton began to reach out to world leaders to restablish diplomatic ties with countires often ignored by the Bush Administration.  According to CNN the calls were introductory as the Obama Administraiton reviews policy.

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright(1997-2001) who appeared Friday on CNN Morning revealed to Kiran Chetry that she agreed wtih Secretary Clinton’s views on diplomacy. 

 
Meanwhile, Clinton has been jerred by many on the right for her branding of the term,  “Smart Power”.  

“But “smart power,” he said, has the life expectancy of Gerald Ford’s WIN buttons, considered one of the biggest government public relations blunders ever. Ford attempted to “Whip Inflation Now” by having millions of red-and-white buttons printed up with the “WIN” slogan on them.” 
                                                                             – Rob Frankel on Fox News

I guess he failed to realize that the un-branded ‘Dumb Power’ utilized by the Bush Administration really didn’t work!

– AC

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The US economy is in free fall, and what is on the lips of the punditocracy — You Betcha – Hillary Rodham Clinton.  With Sarah Palin off witnessing the prepping of turkey’s for Thanksgiving, the real turkeys are once again back to their female target of choice.  Nobody seems to remember Keith Olbermann declaring Clinton hit a grand slam during the Democratic Convention, the numerous people thanking her for her support of Barack Obama, or her continued push towards getting 60 democratic senators elected to the US Senate.   All they seem to remember is that Hillary Clinton is a person you should attack!

I want to make one point before I let you click the obsessions for yourself — there is a continued amnesiac approach to Barack Obama.   In 2002, when Barack Obama made his speech against war with Iraq, he was not in the US Senate.   Nobody knows how he would have voted!   To speculate that he would vote against it, is quite childish in light of his voting for the FISA bill in July.  The media though continues to spin this anti-Iraq war speech, as if it was his vote in the Senate, and continue to use this to club Senator Hillary Clinton.  Many people need to get off the Obama juice as the campaign is over, and start focusing on letting Obama pick the people he feels he needs to help him run the country.

Oh, BTW — Congrats to Madame Secretary Clinton

Obama’s Key Non Appointment:  Bernanke — Christian Science Monitor

The New Senate — Christopher Hayes

Will Clinton Fill the State Department With Loyalists — Spencer Ackerman

The Lame Duck Economy — Paul Krugman

Has HRC accepted?  Ask her Flack! — Politico

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Whether its the auto bailout or Hillary Clinton, the Op-Ed pages are filled with pundit wisdom and sometimes unwisdom.   After listening to MSNBC, you start to wonder if the programmers there will have anything nice to ever say about Hillary Clinton (pregnant pause) — ever!  From Chris Matthews, to David Schuester, to Arianna Huffington (hosting for Rachel Maddow — can you say WTF?  I mean seriously Rachel, never let her host again, she was horrible!) the disdain and hatred for Hillary Clinton was rampant.  

The only person on MSNBC who has really had any REAL commentary to offer in support of Clinton was Joan Walsh from Salon.com.   Joan Walsh brings up the media obsession with the Clinton’s including NBC’s own Andrea Mitchell breaking the news.  My question is how much is the media creating a Clinton/Obama drama rather than just allowing the President Elect to select his people?  It appears that MSNBC and the far left still will not let their anger towards Clinton go.  Michelle Bernard (who runs the organization that Lynne Cheney used to run) declares that the people that elected Obama did not favor Clinton. I guess it is up to me to remind Bernard that Clinton actually received more votes in the Democratic Primaries, and that half the people that elected him, were her supporters. I often wonder if these people actually think in the morning or they just receive whatever daily fax is sent to them.

It’s Official:  Democrats Have Won 58 Senate Seats — The Nation

Flunking The Electoral College — NY TIMES

What’s So Special About a Team of Rivals — James Oakes

The Case Against Hillary — David Ignatius

Secretary Clinton? — David S. Broder

The Obama Health Plan Emerges — WSJ.com

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