Charlie Rose

tartufe  12/08/2008 02:02 AM Report

The US military via the air force and their missile firing drones are creating long term enemies that are now bringing predictions of non-nuclear mass destruction attacks in the foreseeable future. Our arrogance in our 30:1 proportion of civilians to bad guy kill will come home to roost. An aggregation of all Pakistan civilians killed will justify (rightly or wrongly) a terrorist attack - massive or otherwise.

The objective in Afghanistan and Pakistan is fanciful and doubtless illusive. What would victory be? Would we leave if Osama bin Laden were dead (whether by old age or missile fire)? Another will take his place. Then what? Do we stay until they vote us out a la Iraq?

Another 9/11 type attack is more likely the longer we stay than were we to leave tomorrow.

What goes around comes around. Technology is transferable - from nukes to missile firing drones.

How many civilian deaths would the arrogant jingos deem acceptable in Peoria?

TaxPayerAmerican  09/16/2008 07:02 PM Report

Every single time these Pakistanis are confronted, they promptly remind about their help during cold-war (as if they are the ones who saved the world from Soviets !). And the message generally is "because we helped you, we are justified to be terrorists !"

I think now it is time we start slapping these thugs right in the face when they try these tactics. Here is what I have to say you all Pakistani thugs : YOU DID NOT HELP US, YOU SOLD US YOUR CO-OPERATION ! That is correct. You extracted billions of dollars in exchange. So stop talking as if it was a favor. And secondly, the cold was over 16 years ago. So you had sixteen LONG years to clean up the mess (and not just a few weeks or few months as you say). Instead, you got deeper and deeper in to terrorism during these sixteen years (because your enemy always kicked your behind in open battle field).

Enough talking about cold war and soviet war. We want to see results against terrorism. I think Barrack Obama is absolutely right when he said "We will act if Pakistanis don't"

I have no doubt that we will have to act. Because Pakistanis won't, never ! Why would they ? They are terrorists themselves ! I am convinced Obama understands them well.

Susie  08/19/2008 03:46 AM Report

It's amazing that so many commenters keep referring to "these Pakistanis", as if there were a monolithic Pakistani position. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated less than a year ago. Musharraf just stepped down. There is obviously wide divergence among Pakistanis, and it's in U.S. interests to ally with those who offer the best hope of returning the country, as Farahnaz Ispahani has eloquently stated here and elsewhere, to the secular democracy its recent elections have shown it wants to be.

ThoughtfulPakistani  08/13/2008 11:18 PM Report

Jennifer, so you are smart because you use a Western name and put in a snide sentence in Urdu?

Just so you know: (1)$7 billion went to the military dictatorship, not the newly elected democratic government these two represent; (2) if they're begging for education and healthcare for Pakistanis, they're doing a good thing; (3) FM frequency jammers are a military item like night vision equipment and money has nothing to do with the ability of a country like Pakistan to buy them. They can only be sold (like all military equipment made in the U.S.) with approval from Congress.

Jennifer  08/13/2008 04:24 AM Report

These two bozo guests on Charlie Rose show. Charlie must be thinking, God, why did I bring them on this show? This lady seems desperate to come on this show. Hey, Hussein tum jarahey ho Charlie ke show per to mein bhi chaloongi.

These two keep asking for money, beggars. They got $7B and can't buy FM frequency jammers to stop radio brodcast in FATA.

Bilal  08/11/2008 01:33 AM Report

I think TaxPayerAmerican got it wrong, the americans bought dictators and the dictators took the money. The people of Pakistan saw none of that money, the people of Pakistan owe nothing to Americans. The only thing we got was more than 2 million refugees and the lawlessness they brought with them. Do you know how much we have suffered. Do you know there are more casualties of Pakistan army then the americans for this war.

Do your research before telling everyone about ur Naivety

fizza  08/07/2008 02:29 PM Report

to TaxPayerAmerican

Pakistanis are not thugs but the Americans are not only thugs but coward thugs. Yes the wart against russians was won by Pakistanis and Afghanis. Americas can't even think of winning a war even with so much power. They are real pigs, they just can win wars in computer games by shooting imaginary enemies. Keep in mind they those who won the war were mainly Pakhtuns who were never ever defeated nor conquered and these are the people now going to smash Americans, you'll see

kamran  08/07/2008 09:42 AM Report

He is an "American" ambassador to US. His role is like a black sheep in Pakistani public. He was involved in several corruaption cases and got released by the special kindness of Musharaff and zardari. He is a bagger in three peice suit. He is an official Beggar.

Secondly, US ia not in afghanistan to cath Osma or any one else. This is just a fake drama. US wants to stay in that part of the worl to control over China and Russia. US and Afgan Govt. accused that People across the border Pakistan are creating trouble in Afghanistan. I would liek to ask then why US does not agree when the idea was given that we can seal the Afghan and Pakistan border with mines even SO no one can across the border. However, US rejected this option becuase in this way they will not have any excuse to blame pakistan and keep staying in that region. Also, when there was an agreement between triabal and Pakistani govt in 2004 that NO tribal will ever cross the border and Tribal will kick out if there is any foreigner there. After few days of agreement US killed tribal leader Nek muhammaed by a missile to destroy that agreement. Why??

Pakistan's role is an American puppet and American govt is fooling American people and all world through Media. People need to find out how can those people who have hardly place to live are dangerous for US plus why they have not captured OSAMA or any leader in 7 years if he is still alive. This all war is fake with out any real grounds. I think there are many hidden motives behind afghan war.

aTypicalProgressive  08/06/2008 09:30 PM Report

I heard from Husain Haqqani and Farahnaz Ispahani too much "Give us more money and aid" and not enough of "We can do this in return for you."<br>

We shouldn't give Pakistan one more dollar until they open their border to our troops to get Bin Laden, Zawahiri, the Taliban, and other murderers and thugs pretending to be Quran thumpers.<br>

diplomat  08/06/2008 08:17 PM Report

I think the interview to be very political motivated and lacks any real substance. I feel they used the interview to push their brand. I would be skeptical of such close representatives of the PPP and closely linked to Zardari. My expectation of govt run by Zardari as head of party is likely to repeat the excess that occurred during Bhutto reign. The administration is based on cultivating sycophants to mind the store and allow the senior leadership to steal the resources in the name of democracy.

Gina  08/06/2008 04:30 PM Report

Pakistan plays both sides of the fence and always has. They play both sides and they use both sides...

Noa Profit  08/06/2008 07:36 AM Report

The USA is scheduled to re-introduce the draft in 2009. The USA continues to be only interested in a nice long lasting war and sell lots of weapons; and I can prove it..

if: Osama Bin Laden (true not true, who cares) was only portrayed as a mercenary marketing director for various government owned weapons manufacturers parading as a religious person, and if the United States would pass a law that the minimum price that retail gasoline could be sold for was $1.95 a gallon, this war would end and we would win.

By no English definition of “religious persons” can religious be consistent with flying airplanes into buildings; so if Osama is not, by definition, religious; then we are left with “duck theory”: a mercenary marketing director for various government owned weapons manufacturers parading as a religious person. The USA guarantees OBL can recruit only by lying and saying OBL is religious; no one would run to join OBL if OBL were correctly portrayed.

Minimum Price $1.95 and we win the war?! YES:

The ethanol investors do not build ethanol distilleries because monopoly OPEC would lower the price of crude/gasoline to rust out the billion dollar/million barrel a day ethanol stills.

Brazil is energy independent: ethanol; All their cars come built running on ethanol; The gas station fills the tanks with ethanol, no gasoline.

Archer Daniel Midland made millions in the USA selling $1.00 gallon ethanol in the 1990s;

That trumps any canard/invalid objection to ethanol. Use Cellulose ethanol, not corn ethanol.

Cellulose Ethanol energy independence in the USA, will balance the trade deficit, create full employment, bring down the price of fuel, break the monopoly on the pricing of fuel, balance the USA government budget, create less pollution, make the USA energy independent, and end the war because we will stop funding the bad guys everyday at the gas pumps.

With all the cars running on ethanol; the price of oil will collapse and the radical Moslem hordes will no longer have the funds we used to give them from gasoline sales to finance the war against us

Moez  08/04/2008 10:05 PM Report

What Haqqani said here is nothing new and defending his govt is what any official will do in order to keep country's debilitating image from further deterioration. Blaming the CIA for creation of Al-Qaida is just dishonest. It's true that if US stayed in Afghanistan after the war thing might have turned out differently but blaming the US for the ills is not going to wash the blood off ISI's hands.

It was army's "Stratetgic Depth" thinking vis-a-vis India that got Pakistan in these deep doo doo. It was Pakistan Army that created Taliban in order to protect their interest so that they can have better strategic depth against its arch enemy and now since the tide has turned against them after 9-11 and in order to keep the Indian not too cozy with Karzai's Govt they are reluctant to plug Taliban in Waziristan. The Monster that they have created to win the Afghan war and later channeled to Kashmir to keep India bleeding from a "thousand cuts" is coming home to roost. Now these foot soldiers have mind of their own and want to take on the world or more precisely the US to shape according to their twisted mold.

Through their fascist tactics they are havocing the Pakistani society and the cancer is spreading from the North to all the way to the Capital and their sheer terror has debilitating affect on the populace. One rarely hear protest against these jihadist on the so called FREE media in Pakistan. Media is only parroting anti US shouting which is so convenient but have no courage to say the obvious that is the present conditions of Pakistan are self made not US faults.

It was Benazir who have openly call against the Taliban/AL-Qaida threat. No other Pakistani politician have the guts to confront the Talibans. Because it's simple - Bullet or silence. Ask the Prince of Swat who paid with his life.

PM have said wisely that it's Pakistan's war not US. Now Pakistan has to confronts tough choices. How to tackle this big issue without making Pakistan another Algeria or like someone said here earlier another Combodia is a Billion dollar question. US is also treading carefully, the recent legislation put forth by the Senator Biden is a step in a right direction. This is an ideological war too so lets give these radicals the taste of their own medicine and cut the legitimizing leg they stand on i.e. getting their legitimacy from the religion and deliver the one two punch right where it hurt the most. Remember people can take so much barbarism for so long, people are fading up with this primitive tribal barbaric fascism. There are no easy answers just difficult choices.

Hussain Tharkani  08/04/2008 10:01 PM Report

Haqqanis a flake with no vision.

He talks a lot, and thats what he really is.

he used to set lofty goals but doenst even do that

anymore, Acquinos government following marcos is the new benchmark as per haqqani.

Phew the way they are acting he might as well had said well his governments behavior is going to be like Karzai following taliban,,,,

Allan Ramesh  08/04/2008 07:39 PM Report

The lesson from this whole sorry state of affairs is that when we ignore the true aspirations of the "freedom fighters" we support, they will come back and haunt us. The whole discredited philosophy of Kissinger's realpolitik has had a hand in supporting the creation of the Taliban, through our military support channelled through the Pakistani ISI. Now we are trying to declaw the Taliban and root out these elements in the ISI. As a result of our misguided policies, Pakistan has lost three decades of nation building and Pakistani madrassah's export revolution to Malaysia and Indonesia. How can we ever forgive the completely incompetent policies of Reagan administration that funded the Mujahideen (morped to the Taliban)? Gandhi who cried over the splitting of India would be very sad at the state of Pakistan, that should have been able to become wealthy if not for religion and politics.

Salaam  08/04/2008 06:18 PM Report

Shalom, what you wrote is utterly ridiculous and not even worthy of a reply. But lemme try and stoop to your level anyway.

Why don't you get some much-needed SHAME and realize that Pakistani soldiers and public are getting KILLED daily by Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Why do you think MORE Pakistanis have been killed by terrorists? Does your psychotic thesis consider that fact?

sock puppet  08/04/2008 12:07 PM Report

TaxPayerAmerican - It's disconcerting to see some one as cynical and skeptical as I am out there. (See post below.) To kick the can again - the M-I complex lobbyists and profiteers like the open spigot to the area, as it keeps them in Post Toasties (or is it Rice Crispies for Asia) as well. --------------------------------------------------------------------- The third cinder from the sun, brought to you by Boeing, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, yadda, yadda. Beelzebub we're a comin, cause we know no other way. Hallelujah!! Chuckle.

sock puppet  08/04/2008 11:38 AM Report

Kahn - Your quote, "... i knew this that these talibans or freedom figters are creation of US himself while fighting against soviets and they were fuelling them for decades and now US wants the quick action against them and wants results within weeks its totally stupid approach to tackle the terrorism ...." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------Couldn't have said it better. One addendum - We'll create more enemies by staying than by leaving. To know us is to (justifiably) hate us.

sock puppet  08/04/2008 11:26 AM Report

Shalom - Sarah is unfortunately spot-on. Just wonder what our mission is? When will we know when to leave? We create Al Qaeda and Taliban 2 for 1 with our collateral-damage drone and missile attacks. Our techno-assymetry fuels their (insurgent) assymetry. We can leave the place a shambles (thus victorious?) with a residual hatred for lifetimes. Our only advantage is hubris and technology. Both of which are transferable.

Khan  08/04/2008 11:04 AM Report

Charlie i think haqani represented pakistan very thoroughly and when i was hearing this interview i was really surprised that he is delivering the comments of common people of pakistan that how a common people think about US. Iam a student of IT i donnt know much abt politics and other stuff but i knew this that these talibans or freedom figters are creation of US himself while fighting against soviets and they were fuelling them for decades and now US wants the quick action against them and wants results within weeks its totally stupid approach to tackle the terrorism and we must need the strategic plans to cope this situation and its only done by showing the confidence in the new government and exchange of information among the governments which really make both sides happy.One more thing trust can be gained on the exchange of correct and true information.

Thanks.

Shalom Freedman  08/04/2008 10:10 AM Report

Sarah Chayes is an American journalist living in Afghanistan, who has set up community - aid programs. As a professional journalist she has frequently written about the negative role the Pakistani government and military have played in Afghanistan. Her thesis is that the Pakistanis have been playing a double- game with the Americans from the beginning. They have taken the money, apprehended an occasional terrorist, and then go on to fund and shelter terrorist activities inside Afghanistan. Her claim is that the Taliban's retaking of great parts of Afghanistan is under direct Pakistani sponsorship. She also claims that American military people in Afghanistan say that they cannot really complete their mission without entering Pakistan.

TaxPayerAmerican  08/04/2008 12:41 AM Report

About six years ago (give or take a few months), after 9/11, these Pakistanis were begging for money, I repeat, begging for money, in exchange of co-operation in our war against terror. We gave them money. Billions of dollars of them (while our own New Orleans is still awaiting re-habilitation). And exactly what have Pakistanis given us ? Nothing ! A Big Zero. Every dollar they received, they spent on creating more terrorists and supporting the existing.

Crooked Haqqani's crooked wife shaded some crocodile tears on how there are no schools for children in Pakistan, and no education for women, and blah blah blah. I wish Charlie had asked her where the heck they spent all the money we gave them in past 5 decades. They certainly haven't spent it where it was supposed to be.

Today they are again begging for money. With lots of excuses on why their country is so screwed up. And I am convinced that 6 years from now, they will be begging again, because they will have spent all the given money on creating more terrorists.

These people are absolutely thugs and parasites. It is time we stop paying them anything before seeing results. I don't see much difference between Kim Jong Il and these people. Both are blackmailers.

A moderate Pakistan is oxymoron. Much like moderate Taliban !

It is totally foolish to say that ISI has connections with terrorists. No sir, ISI has no connections with terrorists. ISI IS THE TERRORIST ORGANIZATION BY ITSELF. Pakistani military IS the terrorist by itself.

The biggest loser in the war against terror, so far, is unquestionably the USA and American tax payer. And the biggest winners are these Pakistani thugs.

I think we lost the war against terror the day we called these thugs our allies.

pakwatcher  08/03/2008 01:30 PM Report

Is there a single member of the U.S congress who is unelected? Is it conceiveable? As an American, there is alot to be said about accountability and having to face one's constituents. These unelected so called PPP professionals, who are they? Name them? The world should know that Pakistan right now is facing a crisis of governance and the PPP is facing a crisis of credibility amongst Pakistanis. How on earth will they be credible to the international community when today they are almost as unpopular as musharraf and virtually as discredited as musharraf's creation the PML-Q.

Degrading Ms. Bhutto's political successes and electability to make your own creative case is really alarming.

Thoughtful Pakistani  08/03/2008 12:29 PM Report

Also, in parliamentary democracy parties are elected and even under America's presidential system non-elected officials weild power as an extension of being chosen by those elected by the people. You have the right to say you dont like the elected government or some people within it. Just dont hide behind the argument that somehow those winning direct seats in elections would make the country run better than the PPP's professionals.

ThoughtfulPakistani  08/03/2008 12:25 PM Report

Pakwatcher obviously does not know that Benazir Bhutto herself was on top of the PPP's proportional representation list in both 2002 and 2008. My vomment might be longwinded but yours is based on sheer ignorance.

pakwatcher  08/03/2008 12:22 PM Report

Wrong. Ms. Isphani is not elected in any shape or form. She has simply been rewarded with a ticket. Please dont confuse people with your long winded examples of europe, there is simply no comparison. Most women's reserved seats have been doled out to elite women such as Ms. Ispahani and Ms. Sherry Rehman. They certainly dont do credit to those women who have been elected and have had to struggle to win their seats in Pakistan. Including the woman who they owe their political fortunes to; i.e Ms. Benazir Bhutto! Many people, if not most in Pakistan are extremely distressed about the non-elected people who have power today. It is a very real issue, not a petty one. The country is in disarray because of these very issues and questions which have arisen since Feb 18th elections. To minimize this is to be neither thoughtful nor informed.

Jay Dem  08/03/2008 06:28 AM Report

Mr. Bull brahmin, please don't jump so high that you break your leg. It is time america puts indian operations against pakistan in nwfp and balochistan "out of action" otherwise the war on terror is lost.

ThoughtfulPakistani  08/02/2008 07:00 PM Report

Ms Ispahani is an elected member of parliament contrary to what PakWatcher says. Ambassadors are never elected in any country but Ambassador Haqqani represents an elected government. Ms Ispahani was given a ticket by the PPP for the National Assembly from Sindh. All voters voting for the PPP in Sindh voted for their constituency (similar to Congressional districts in US) representatives and their votes were also counted towards the party's share of women's reserved seats. This is similar to the European Party List system through which all of the parliament in the Scandinavian countries and half of the parliament in Germany is elected. Would PakWatcher say that those elected through proportional repreentation in European parliaments are not elected?

Part of Pakistan's problem is the pettiness of people like PakWatcher who can't be large-hearted enough to recognize that a person is an elected Member of the National Assembly whether elected directly in the districts or through proportional representation on the Women's reserved seats.

Rajesh is only engaging in typical Pakistan bashing of the variety many Indians have made their vocation. He conveniently forgets that India supported the Soviet Union during the Afghan war so if India could survive being under Soviet influence so could Pakistan. Pakistan and the US pushed the Soviets out of Afghanistan together and all Amb. haqqani is saying is that the US abandoned Afghanistan and paved the way for that country's Talibanization. He has been outspoken in his critique of Pakistani policy towards Afghanistan but giving some historic background does not mean he does not acknowledge what pakistan must do to change things now.

Rajesh  08/02/2008 04:03 PM Report

Most ridiculous ambassador of country of Pakistan is at it again. After the evidence of having perpetrated an act of war on India (by bombing their embassy) this ridiculous man can only blame it on Soviet war and CIA etc. Not taking responsibility is what Pakistan is good it, it’s always some one else to blame. Instead of apologizing for this act of war and promising that if the evidence is true they will disband ISI, this man rambles on like a drunken fool with a silly smirk on his face.

How is Musharaf US’s problem? It was Pakistan’s corrupt government and their cunning Military and Espionage establishment that brought him about. What has Soviet war has to do with ISI? Pakistan and CIA came together against Soviet because they saw them as common threat, Pakistan did no favor to CIA, instead it was CIA that did the favor by stopping Soviet from taking over Pakistan as well.

Wonder what kind of people listen to Haqqani’s senseless blabber and go “Hmm this makes sense”… bet only Pakistanis do.

TereIshqNachaya  08/02/2008 01:38 PM Report

Excellent interview by Charlie, as usual. It was focused and dug deep into the problems facing Pakistan today.

Watching this show makes me really happy that the real truth is being put out for those who want to listen to it; and also VERY SAD because it's aired at midnight on a station that attracts a more educated audience anyway...i.e. the people who do not watch this show are precisely the ones who need this sort of information the most!

pakwatcher  08/02/2008 10:51 AM Report

Farahnaz Isphani is not an "elected" member of Pakistan's National Assembly as Mr. Rose kept on saying and neither Mr. Haqqani or Ms. Isphani corrected him. She was given a ticket on a women's reserved seat by the PPP. Women and other minorities are given these special tickets. Neither the ambassador nor his wife are elected representatives of the Pakistani people. Mr. Haqqani is not elected either.

Bull Brahmin  08/02/2008 03:55 AM Report

--- Osama bin Laden & the Inter-Services Intelligence--- The ISI knows where Osama bin Laden is. The current FBI reward for him is 25 million dollars. This is a joke. Every U.S. Fortune 500 company who values stability (good for business) could offer a million dollars each (tax deductible) to the reward. Then a moderate element in the ISI would emerge to devise a plan and with supportive action that would bring in bin Laden (dead or alive) They would do it for less. --- NYTIMES --- This story is bringing to light, among other things, is how similar PAKISTAN is to IRAN mainly asking the question on our side “Who is in charge in your country?’ Answer: Opaque with the only difference is that Pakistan has NUKES. If Pakistan is working to undermine US security interests in Afghanistan it will find a stronger enemy to it’s west as well as it’s east. They are not Russia and this is not Vietnam. If they would like to assuage this dynamic they should make a political move and offer up bin Laden with a truce guarantee from us targeting 41 their lower echelon. --- YOU R GUESTS When will we get rid of the “used car salesman” and the wide eyed idealism mentality out of international diplomacy? If this was just a stock story our dear Ambassador would not have appeared to present the “hard sell.”

sock puppet  08/02/2008 12:48 AM Report

Tee hee. I'm aghast, chuckle. I'm betting both the Pakastani's and Afghani's are playing us like a banjo. These oily, unctuous confidence scammers are shamelessly reaching in our pockets. They'll continue to do so untill way-too-late when we'll finally leave with our tail between our legs ala Vietnam, coming Iraq - and ultimately Afghanistan. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------- We are jingoistic fools. Too arrogant to recognize when we're being flimflammed. Plus the personal greed of the M-I and intelligent communities encourage the continued pillaging of our treasury (for their own greed). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------Lastly, now that we've been ravaged financially by the subprime wise-guys on top of Iraq, our ability to sustain the idiocy of Afghanistan will be curtailed (an ill wind, windfall of sorts).

Dr. Murray M. Morgan  08/02/2008 12:44 AM Report

Plan of Dick Cheney to cause Americans kill Americans

We have the Pearl Harbor, and 9/11-Incident. Here is another attempt to fabricate casus belli between Tehran and Washington.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20398.htm

To Provoke War

Cheney Considered Proposal To Dress Up Navy Seals As Iranians And Shoot At Them

By Faiz

01/08/08 "Think Progress" --- Speaking at the Campus Progress journalism conference earlier this month, Seymour Hersh — a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist for The New Yorker — revealed that Bush administration officials held a meeting recently in the Vice President’s office to discuss ways to provoke a war with Iran.

In Hersh’s most recent article, he reports that this meeting occurred in the wake of the overblown incident in the Strait of Hormuz, when a U.S. carrier almost shot at a few small Iranian speedboats. The “meeting took place in the Vice-President’s office. ‘The subject was how to create a casus belli between Tehran and Washington,’” according to one of Hersh’s sources.

During the journalism conference event, I asked Hersh specifically about this meeting and if he could elaborate on what occurred. Hersh explained that, during the meeting in Cheney’s office, an idea was considered to dress up Navy Seals as Iranians, put them on fake Iranian speedboats, and shoot at them. This idea, intended to provoke an Iran war, was ultimately rejected:

HERSH: There was a dozen ideas proffered about how to trigger a war. The one that interested me the most was why don’t we build — we in our shipyard — build four or five boats that look like Iranian PT boats. Put Navy seals on them with a lot of arms. And next time one of our boats goes to the Straits of Hormuz, start a shoot-up.

Might cost some lives. And it was rejected because you can’t have Americans killing Americans. That’s the kind of — that’s the level of stuff we’re talking about. Provocation. But that was rejected.

Watch it:

Hersh argued that one of the things the Bush administration learned during the encounter in the Strait of Hormuz was that, “if you get the right incident, the American public will support” it.

“Look, is it high school? Yeah,” Hersh said. “Are we playing high school with you know 5,000 nuclear warheads in our arsenal? Yeah we are. We’re playing, you know, who’s the first guy to run off the highway with us and Iran.”

Transcript:

HERSH: There was a meeting. Among the items considered and rejected — which is why the New Yorker did not publish it, on grounds that it wasn’t accepted — one of the items was why not…

There was a dozen ideas proffered about how to trigger a war. The one that interested me the most was why don’t we build — we in our shipyard — build four or five boats that look like Iranian PT boats. Put Navy seals on them with a lot of arms. And next time one of our boats goes to the Straits of Hormuz, start a shoot-up. Might cost some lives.

And it was rejected because you can’t have Americans killing Americans. That’s the kind of — that’s the level of stuff we’re talking about. Provocation. But that was rejected.

So I can understand the argument for not writing something that was rejected — uh maybe. My attitude always towards editors is they’re mice training to be rats.

But the point is jejune, if you know what that means. Silly? Maybe. But potentially very lethal. Because one of the things they learned in the incident was the American public, if you get the right incident, the American public will support bang-bang-kiss-kiss. You know, we’re into it.

…What happened in the Gulf was, in the Straits, in early January, the President was just about to go to the Middle East for a visit. So that was one reason they wanted to gin it up. Get it going.

Look, is it high school? Yeah. Are we playing high school with you know 5,000 nuclear warheads in our arsenal? Yeah we are. We’re playing, you know, who’s the first guy to run off the highway with us and Iran.

RE Mant  08/02/2008 12:32 AM Report

When Pakistan gained independence 60 years ago, they were far richer than India, so I'll believe all of this when I see it, and I don't think American aid will do much to change the situation. Moreover, I think a Cambodian-style incursion will have Cambodian-style results. But I expect the next president to do exactly this, nevertheless.

ThoughtfulPakistani  08/01/2008 08:46 PM Report

Ambassador Haqqani is a scholar-ambassador and Pakistan is lucky to have him represent its case at a time when the country's military leaders have brought it to the brink of disaster. He and his wife are eloquent voices for a moderate Pakistan. Thank you, Charlie Rose, for giving them a hearing.