“Think of Musharraf who puts his neck on the line every day he goes to work, when there’ve been attempts on his life because of his support for our position. And they look over here and they see the United States that’s made a commitment to the Iraqis, that’s gone in and taken down the old regime, worked to set up a democracy, worked to set up security forces, and all of a sudden we say it’s too tough, we’re going home. What’s Karzai going to think up in Kabul? Is he going to have any confidence at all that he can trust the United States, that in fact we’re there to get the job done? What about Musharraf? Or is Musharraf and those people you’re talking about who are on the fence in Afghanistan and elsewhere going to say, ‘My gosh, the United States hasn’t got the stomach for the fight. Bin Laden’s right, al-Qaeda’s right, the United States has lost its will and will not complete the mission,’ and it will damage our capabilities and all of those other war fronts, if you will, in the global war on terror.”
As this quote indicates, this is not a cautious politician saying, “Musharraf is doing his best.”
Vice President Cheney’s strong and long statement of support for Mr. Musharraf is almost unprecedented in foreign diplomacy. We say “almost unprecedented” because there could be a stronger supportive statement of one ally for another in the history of man. But if we read a stronger one we cannot recall it today.
And if Mr. Cheney is “out” on Musharraf; then who is “in”?
We believe the answer to that question is Ms. Frances Fragos Townsend, President Bush’s Homeland Security Advisor.
If Mr. Cheney still believes his words from Sunday, September 10, 2006; then where is he now?
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