Pelosi Statement on Sen. Frist's Comments on the Taliban in Afghanistan

[bigtree]

10/3/2006 1:52:00 PM

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=73670

Contact: Brendan Daly or Jennifer Crider, 202-226-7616, both of the Office of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on Senate Majority Leader Bill First's comments that the Taliban should be included in the government in Afghanistan:

"We went to war in Afghanistan five years ago to crush the Taliban for the role it played in the 9/11 attacks. Sen. Frist now suggests that the best way forward in Afghanistan is to coddle the Taliban by welcoming Taliban members into a coalition government, as if 9/11 had never happened.

"The Taliban remain a threat because, as Sen. Frist has apparently just learned, President Bush did not finish the job against terrorism in Afghanistan before deciding to launch his ill-advised invasion of Iraq. The consequences of that decision, which the Republican Congressional leaders continue to ignore, are evident everywhere: in the abysmal security situation in Iraq; the unacceptable readiness conditions in our Army and Marine Corps and the resurgent Taliban. It is long past time that the President refocuses our attention on the war on terror and finishes the job in Afghanistan."

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=73670


Don't Take Bush's Word, He's Listening To Osama (10-3-2006)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2862037&mesg_id=2862037

[MadMaddie]

1. Keep hammering the message home Nancy....

Frist is an idiot....Now the Repugs want to coddle the terrorist....why isn't that message coming out..

[tabasco]

2. Now wait just a doggone minute!

Both of these peole must be nuts!

The Great Decider stated on 27 Sept. 2004 that the Taliban was "no more."

Our fearless Unitary Executive would never say a falsehood.

Shame on Pelosi and Frist for spreading lies that the Taliban still exists.

[bigtree]

6. "we removed the Taliban from Afghanistan"

It's amazing to hear Bush in his fundraising speech (yesterday) claim that, "we removed the Taliban from Afghanistan and freed 25 million people from the clutches of a barbaric regime." If Taliban have been removed from Iraq, then who is the Taliban that Republican Majority Leader, Sen. Frist, is admitting that the U.S. can't defeat? Who are these Taliban that Frist said yesterday he wants to have join the Afghanistan government?

There he is, the head of the republican-controlled Senate, proposing making peace with the organization that Bush and the world declared war on for their material support of al-Qaeda. Declaring that Bush's war against Taliban can't be won "militarily," Frist proposed that Afghanistan "assimilate people who call themselves Taliban into a larger, more representative government."

"And if that's accomplished, we'll be successful," he told reporters.

Where's the White House firing squad? Why isn't Frist being upbraided by the administration demagogues for his unilateral surrender to the Taliban? If the Taliban is now eligible for a place in the Afghan government - while actively engaged in armed resistance against our forces and against the American-backed mayor of Kabul (Karsai's regime) - then Bush's campaign against bin-Laden is to be viewed as an abstraction, as the militarized resistance group has been the exclusive source of our military force's retaliation in Afghanistan, and the main focus our military and government agent's pursuit of the perpetrators of 9-11.



http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_ron_full_061003_don_t_take_bush_s_wo.htm

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2862037&mesg_id=2862037

[Double T]

11. The rethug desperation to save SOMETHING from the Afganistan.......

invasion and their claim of 'mission accomplished' has gone to netherworld extremes. bush ACTS like he is in total denial of the reality of the failed situation. On the other hand, Frist, the messenger for the day is testing the waters on buddying up to the Taliban, so that this incompetent administration and enabling rethug controlled congress can attempt to save face at home and throughout the world. Frist is leaving the Congress at the end of his term, therefore if his 'proposition' goes bad, he has little to lose. Afghanistan is ALL but lost to the resurging Taliban and Iraq may fall to the same fate.

[bigtree]

17. it really does seem to signal a backing off of the initial pursuit/assault

of the 9-11 perps, which was waged almost exclusively against the Taliban

[cspanlovr]

3. Frist is the taliban, in christian clothing.

[Kierkegaard]

4. She should have kept it short & sweet:

"Frist is clinically insane."

[bigtree]

18. that's not actionable

she was pretty concise in what she did say

[Kierkegaard]

19. It's called sarcasm...

[bigtree]

20. obviously lost on me

there's too much cynicism thrown around here when our party asserts itself.

[kurth]

5. Good thing she spoke up!

[Justice Is Comin]

7. That sure is a weak mollification of what should be

screaming justified outrage. She just doesn't have the killer know how. Just doesn't have it.

Thank God, at least she did her job on the Foley cannoli.

[bigtree]

9. what they say is NEVER enough for some folks

[Straight Shooter]

12. Sounded just about perfect to me.

The issue is Frist "coddling" the Taliban, not about Pelosi's level of outrage. She acted. She didn't "react." That's a good thing.

[Justice Is Comin]

13. Sorry, don't agree.

This is about as incredible as it gets. Are you kidding?

She should have tied this right to their ass about which party is the cut and run. This is another big ole Christmas present and it should be ripped open NOW.

[Straight Shooter]

15. No, I'm not kidding.

I know your question was rhetorical about kidding, but the more even-keeled the Dems appear right now, while pointing out the hypocrisy and ludicrousness of the Repubs' position, the better it will play in America.

Most Americans just can't fathom the outrage on Democratic Underground. They don't pay attention, unless it involves sex, as you can tell by the headlines everywhere about Foley.

[Imagevision]

8. MSM not reporting on Afgan increased suicide & ied bombs

[Brundle_Fly]

10. well

She's right.

[Supersedeas]

14. for when does Cut and Run really mean something--only when Rove says it??

[bigtree]

16. unilateral surrender while our troops are actively fighting them

cut-and-run

truly bizzare

[Disturbed]

21. It may seem insane at this time but

it is possible that a few years from now that the Taliban will be represented in the Afghan Govt. Yeah, to most of us it seems like inviting the KKK Party to run candidates and if they got enough votes that they would be members of Congress but in Afghanistan the Taliban have a whole lot more support than the KKK do in America. It is, after all, their country. How much of an outrage was there in the US when the Khmere Rouge became part of the Cambodian Govt? No, I am not comparing them directly to the Taliban but the political situation has it's similarities.

Frist is wrong about most things but in this case he may just be making some sense.

As to the Taliban having anything to do with 911 Attack. What proof is there that they did?