The Pakistan Update

In what appears to be a step towards easing the tensions in Islamabad-Washington relations, Pakistan may invite US military trainers back ‘as early as April or May’ but it has ruled out allowing CIA drones into the country again, a conservative American news channel reported Friday.

Drones ‘can never return’, FOX News channel said, quoting an unnamed senior Pakistan official. “They will never be allowed back, at Shamsi or anywhere else,” the official added, referring to the base in Balochistan from which many of the unmanned aerial vehicles were deployed until the NATO strikes on Pakistani border posts in November that killed 26 soldiers.

Pakistan’s parliament is currently reviewing the nature of its relationship with the United States after that incident, which led Pakistan to close its border crossings used by NATO to supply its troops in Afghanistan.

FOX said the main stipulations in the review will include no covert CIA or military operations on the ground in Pakistan, nor unauthorized incursions into its airspace.

In return, it said Pakistan would allow back US military trainers, including special forces teams, and a resumption of close cooperation with the CIA in targeting militants who use the Pakistani side of the tribal belt as a safe haven and breeding ground for extremism.

It would also reopen next month the Torkham and Chaman border crossings with Afghanistan, which have remained closed to NATO supply convoys as punishment to the coalition since the NATO attack.

Islamabad would also open its doors to high level US diplomats again after an embarrassing snub this week for President Barack Obama’s special envoy to the region, Marc Grossman, who was denied his request to visit Pakistan in the middle of his tour of South Asia.

“We understand the Government of Pakistan is still working on its review of US-Pakistan relations, and we have not yet received a formal report from the government. Decisions about the level of Pakistani commitment to our military relationship are obviously theirs to make, and we respect that,” said Capt John Kirby, a spokesman for the Office of the Secretary of Defence, in an emailed statement to FOX.

Pakistan has been reeling since Osama bin Laden was killed within its borders in a US raid last May. It considers that incident, along with civilian casualties caused by drone attacks, as flagrant violations of its sovereignty by an ‘arrogant’ US government.

Foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar this week said that ties “are on hold until we start re-engaging,” but Pakistan is now motivated by the US elections to move forward swiftly in rebuilding trust between the two countries.

Islamabad fears that if the foundation is not laid now, once presidential campaigning begins in earnest by the summer, it will be mid-2013 before they can renegotiate with Washington, FOX said.

However, the senior official suggested there were benefits to waiting. “We would prefer it if there was a Republican government again. Pakistan has always done well with the Republicans. Historically, over the decades, we have always had difficulty doing business with the Democrats,” the official said.

Originally appeared in The Nation.

Tags: democrats, Drone Attacks, hina rabbani khar, NATO, Pak US relations, Republicans, US elections

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It’s one of the most beloved acts at the circus. A tiny car drives into the center ring. The door opens. A clown emerges. Then another. And another. And another. The audience howls. The clowns keep tumbling out. How can so many clowns fit into such a small space?

Once cold ask the same about Washington.

You see, politicians can’t agree on a budget. Congress and the White House have until Friday, April 8, 11:59:59 p.m. to sign off on an agreement. If no compromise is reached, at midnight the US government will officially run out of money and be forced to shut down.

Visa and passport processing will slow down. Income tax refunds will not be processed. National parks will close. Museums will close. Military personnel will receive half a paycheck on April 15.

Federal employees needed to provide service deemed essential to national security are classified as “exempt” and will be required to show up for work, but will not be paid until a new budget is passed – and even then payment could take weeks or months. Around 800,000 other “non-exempt” employees will be forced to take leave without pay, or furloughed. Congress will decide whether these employees will be paid at all.

A furlough is a grim business. Workers deemed to be non-essential will be given four hours to straighten up and lock their desks, change their voicemail messages and leave the building. They will not be permitted to use their government-issued Blackberries or access their work e-mail remotely (although enforcement of those rules will most likely be fairly lax). They cannot accept employment that will conflict with their government duties (not that there are any jobs to be had anyway). On the bright side, they can apply for unemployment, which on average pays out a maximum of $350 a week.

Meanwhile, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), is considering filing a claim under the Constitution’s 13th Amendment in the event of a shutdown.

The 13th Amendment became law in 1865, ending the practice of slavery and indentured servitude in the United States. AFGE lawyers say the law applies in the instance of a government shutdown since federal workers who are deemed “essential” to government operations could be forced to come to work without pay on the threat being fired.

David Borer, AFGE’s general counsel, said the federal government can’t force employees to come work without pay “under threat of physical or legal compulsion.”

So.

While federal employees spent the day calling their creditors and mortgage companies, Congressmen were keeping busy. Under the resolution passed Friday, a spending plan that was killed by the Senate last month would come back to life and become law, without the president’s signature, if the Senate does not pass a bill funding the government for the rest of the 2011 – a measure that is in direct violation of the Constitution. Republican Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, a saucer-eyed Washington favorite, presented a draconian budget plan containing unsubstantiated figures that were scrubbed from the Web site of the think tank that provided them.

The battle over the budget appears to have come down to a war over the “riders,” or policy items attached to the overall budget that try to strip funding from certain programs. One of the riders, which would defund Planned Parenthood, an organization that provides family planning, is said to be the sticking point for both parties. Republicans want Planned Parenthood defunded because their clinics provide abortions. This stall tactic is cynical in the extreme, since Republicans are well aware that Planned Parenthood is prohibited by law from using federal funds for abortion procedures. Word is that Republicans are willing to strip the riders – for additional concessions to more cuts. In other words, extortion. So much for principle.

The Democrats, “led” by President Obama, have responded with great boldness – by caving. So far Planned Parenthood hasn’t been thrown under the bus, but that could change; after all, Obama’s favored negotiating tactic has consistently been to open talks by giving up his queen.

Not that Obama’s been idle. This week, the President took time out from negotiations to fly to New York to team up with Al Sharpton, one of the most controversial and divisive figures in the country. More importantly, his 2012 campaign will be all about change! Yes, the Obama/Biden brain trust has picked a new font – serif – for their logo.

So while federal employees fret, the politicians preen, diddle and posture.

But what’s the rush? If the government shuts down, they’ll still get paid – on time.

Tags: Barack Obama, budget, budget bill, democrats, federal employees, furlough, government shutdown, paul ryan, Republicans

Posted in Blog, News, The Ballot Box | 981 Comments »

If Barack Obama hadn’t realized that the hope and change magic spell was wearing off, he was jolted back to reality by an unknown audience member at a recent CNBC townhall meeting.

The IED came in the form of Velma Hart. Who? Exactly. Velma Hart has become the face of a group that has been growing steadily in number over the past several months: The Disgruntled Obama Voter. In less than one minute, Velma Hart became Hans Brinker in reverse; unlike the Little Dutch Boy, she pulled her finger out of the dyke and let the deluge take its course:

Quite frankly, I’m exhausted. Exhausted of defending you, defending your administration, defending the man for change I voted for, and deeply disappointed with where we are right now. I’ve been told that I voted for a man who said he was going to change things in a meaningful way for the middle class. I’m one of those people and I’m waiting, sir, I’m waiting. I don’t feel it yet. While I thought it wouldn’t be a great measure, I would feel it in some small measure. I have two children in private school, and the financial recession has taken an enormous toll on my family. My husband and I joked that we thought we were well beyond the hot dogs and beans era of our lives. And quite frankly, it’s starting to knock on our door and ring through that that might be where we’re headed. And quite frankly, Mr. President, I need you to answer honestly, is this my new reality?

Sorry Mrs. Hart, this is reality, not new, not just yours, but the whole country’s. The campaign ended long ago. Democrats took control of the White House, the House of Representatives and the Senate. So what’s the problem?

Consider that Democrats are in the majority. Then take a look at the party’s recent record of failure. Failure to pass a repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Failure to pass the Dream Act. Failure to address immigration reform. Failure to schedule a vote before the elections that would force the Republicans to defend and support continuing tax cuts for the rich. Failure to protect the public by plugging the enormous loopholes in the flawed health care reform bill (a piece of legislation that Democrats are touting as a “victory”). Failure to close Guantanamo. Failure to roll back the more egregious civil rights abuses of the Bush-Cheney era (indeed, we’re looking at an expansion of government snooping, not the other way around).

The country is unemployed, uninsured, showing up for Glenn Beck rallies and voting for Tea Party-backed certifiable lunatics, thieves and liars in the Republican primaries. It would stand to reason that faced with the frightening reality of having Senator Sharron Angle or Senator Christine O’Donnell would energize Democrats and send them in a rush to the polls in November. But the Democratic base, having been burned one too many times by a party terrified of failing to appear “bipartisan” and continually kowtowing to the most extreme instransigence of the opposition, isn’t terribly motivated to vote. Some have even had the temerity to question whether Obama intends to keep even a single promise he made during the campaign.

It appears that the White House has finally gotten the memo. Their solution? Like angry parents, the President and his VP have taken the unprecedented step of treating what’s left of their base like naughty children. “Stop whining” scolds Joe Biden. “People need to shake off this lethargy. People need to buck up…if people now want to take their ball and go home, that tells me folks weren’t serious in the first place” says Barack Obama. What’s next? “Don’t make me come down there”? Confiscating the Playstation?

But not to worry – the Democratic party chairman isn’t asleep at the wheel. This month the DNC announced a bold, game changing strategy: Call a meeting, splurge on a graphic artist and unveil an exciting new logo.

Tags: biden, christine o'donnell, democrats, election, Obama, Republicans, sharron angle

Posted in Blog, News, The Ballot Box | 1,151 Comments »

There’s a special genre of publication that caters exclusively to excitable, starstruck young women. “Tiger Beat”, “Bop” and “16″ are fluffy magazines tailored to satisfy the swoony dreams of adolescents as they fantasize about the teen idol de jour.

The packaging of a fantasy is an art in and of itself cleverly crafted by publicists, ambitious stage parents and cynical editors. The formula is fairly simple.  The performer must always be portrayed as single and wholesome. Marriage, homosexuality, bizarre personality quirks, poor grooming, violent tendencies, psychological issues, consumption of alcohol and/or drugs and smoking must be concealed at all costs lest the fantasy, and possibly a career, go up in smoke. Chastity rings a la Jonas Brothers are a big plus.  The star has to be accessible but always slightly out of reach, cute but never sexual, perfectly behaved….and rather bland.  Attracting and keeping the attention of young female fans, who tend to be fickle when it comes to the cuties they admire, is easier said than done.

But it’s impossible to put off the inevitable.  The girls realize they’re at a puppet show when they see the strings. The star turns out to be a regular guy. (more…)

Tags: Barack Obama, bill clinton, Campaign 2012, Democracy, democrats, Election campaign 2008, Featured, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Newspapers, Presidential Candidates, Republicans, TV channels, us media, Votes

Posted in The Ballot Box | 1,604 Comments »

One of former President John F. Kennedy’s favorite sayings was “success has many fathers. Failure is an orphan.”

What would the assassinated President make of this week’s special election in Massachusetts, where a little-known Republican won the seat held by John and Bobby Kennedy’s younger brother Teddy for 47 years?  What would they make of the GOP sending one of their own to sit in the US Senate for the first time since 1978?

A Republican winning the “Kennedy seat” would have been a joke a few weeks ago, a fantasy so preposterous that not even FOX’s Glenn Beck would have spoken of it on his program.  That one of the most liberal states in the country, (more…)

Tags: coakley, cricket, democrats, imran khan, Obama, senate, United States, US

Posted in The Ballot Box | 1,396 Comments »