Posted on 09/26/2006 2:17:34 PM PDT by wouldntbprudent
WASHINGTON -- Pakistan's military ruler, Pervez Musharraf, says he contemplated war with the United States in 2001 but opted instead to forsake the Taliban and become President George W. Bush's ally.
"I war-gamed the United States as an adversary," the Pakistani leader wrote in his martially titled memoirs In the Line of Fire, published yesterday. It apparently didn't take the general, then an international pariah for having staged a coup to toppled his country's democratic government, very long to conclude that Pakistan would lose.
"The answer was a resounding no," he wrote, having concluded that the world's most powerful military would wipe out his forces, destroy his nuclear weapons, wreak havoc on Pakistan's threadbare infrastructure, help India seize disputed Kashmir and then turn to his archrival in New Delhi for the support and bases it needed to topple Afghanistan's Taliban regime.
In the days after suicide hijackings destroyed New York's World Trade Center and damaged the Pentagon, Mr. Bush warned that countries harbouring or helping terrorists would share their fate.
At the time, Pakistan backed the Taliban's Islamic government in Kabul. In the book, Gen. Musharraf says former U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell called him with an ultimatum, . . .
(Excerpt) Read more at theglobeandmail.com ...
Can anyone even imagine anyone inthe Klintoon administration calling up the Paks and delivering an ultimatum?
Thank God W was in charge on 9/11.
I hope Musharraf has a long life as the leader of Pakistan. A Jihaist alternative will cost US lives, IMO.
He's smart, that one.
He was smart. Thank God we have a real man in the White House. There 's your diplomacy lesson kids
Yeah, when you start thinking about it, it's pretty comical---war-gaming a conflict with the U.S.? Uh, that should have taken about 2 minutes.
To channel Carlos Mencia
"Hey Pervy Musha-Dee Dee Dee!!!!!! You Lose!!!!!"
"He chose....wisely."
Actually, this confirms something about Musharraf that it is good to know; he will, to a large degree, take the path of least resistance. He made this decision based solely on what would be the best chance for the survival of his nation and himself. It's useful to know such things.
True. He's been an effective and pragmatic ally and I wish him success and long life.
Sounds like a great idea. Maybe Bush did screw-up.
If Musharraf thought about it once, it's in him. The alliance with Pakistan is weak at best. Pakistan is still the nation producing the most al Qaeda terrorists. Musharraf is biding his time. His budding ties with Iran smacks of infidelity. He'll just continue building the military of Pakistan while under grace from Washington.
I can't imagine anyone taking Al Gore all that seriously either. Bush's post-9/11 speeches were a definite deep think for the enemy.
Besides which, I don't think Al Gore would've invaded Afghanistan. He would've launched missiles at Taliban and Al Qaeda targets, stumped about how much he was doing, and put out a hit on Osama bin Laden without providing the necessary resources to actually accomplish the mission.
Of course, Al Gore would've lost in 2004 because he would've failed to address the Clintonian Economic Regression with tax cuts. The economy would've remained in the pits, and Al Gore would be busy blaming everybody but himself. He would've pushed harmful environmentally policies making the economic situation even more dire.
Yes, thank God that W was President. I remember those were the first articulate thoughts when the initial shock of 9/11 wore off, only minutes after the first plane flew into the first tower. Many American have forgotten how instrumental the President was in getting our nation back on its feet, and pointing us in the right direction to fight back at those who struck at us on 9/11.
Didn't say I totally trust him. So your point is well-taken.
But it does prove the point that the Rats still haven't got a clue on yet: in world affairs, it's POWER that counts. And you don't need friends, you need bad boys to FEAR you.
They will fear you if you (1) have the best military in the world, and (2) aren't afraid to use it (as was the case with the Klintoon administration).
I don't think Algore or anyone in his administration would have even had the hormones to shut down all the air traffic in the U.S. after the second plane hit the towers.
Several more planes were going to be hijacked and very well may have been, all the while I imagine the Gore administration would have been blithering and wringing their hands and quivering with the dreaded responsibility of having to make a decision that (1) might be overkill, and (2) would cost potentially billions.
PERVEZ! Are you playing on that computer again? That makes the 847th time the USA has beat you. Why don't you war game Canada, then you might finally win one!
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