Former ambassador to Pakistan responds to McCain: Pakistan was not a ‘failed state’ in 1999.
Former ambassador to Pakistan responds to McCain: Pakistan was not a ‘failed state’ in 1999.
During Friday’s presidential debate, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) claimed:
I don’t think that Senator Obama understands that there was a failed state in Pakistan when Musharraf came to power. Everybody who was around then, and had been there, and knew about it knew that it was a failed state.
Matt Yglesias contacted William Milan, U.S. ambassador to Pakistan at the time of the 1999 coup, who flatly said that McCain was wrong:
There are a number of interesting books, including a forthcoming one by me, that cover the 1999 coup by the Musharraf-led army. You might want to look at those already published by Steve Cohen, Hasan Abbas, Hussain Haqqani (long before he became the present Pakistani Ambassador), and especially Ian Talbot’s updated history of Pakistan.
I think that all of them would agree that, while there were a lot of things wrong in Pakistan during the years leading up to the 1999 military takeover, Pakistan was not a failed state as we normally define such states. I am on record as stating publicly that, having come to Pakistan from Liberia a year before the takeover, I had a pretty good idea of what failed states look like, and it was not one.
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Here’s a good video from ADN showing Palin’s lies, lies, and more lies about the Troopergate investigation:
September 30th, 2008 at 6:01 pmhttp://community.adn.com/mini_apps/vmix/player.php?ID=2221420&GID=118
No fair, that was a media ‘gotcha question’. /snark off
September 30th, 2008 at 6:01 pmHey, stuff the facts…
September 30th, 2008 at 6:01 pmthe facts are librul…
oh, and first?
September 30th, 2008 at 6:02 pmWanna see a “failed state”? Ya don’t have to go anywhere, just look around….
September 30th, 2008 at 6:08 pmWhile Sharif was not a model of probity and transparency, it would seem that McInsane, in suggesting that the military coup that deposed Sharif rescued a “failed state”, simply luuuuvvvss hisself some dictators….
Cheers,
September 30th, 2008 at 6:08 pmMcPain claims to be a Foreign Affairs expert???
He’s irritating our “allies” already.
First Spain and now Pakistan.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:11 pmGood job!!!
America’s the greatest country in the world — as long as we’re barely one notch above third-world countries that could use uncle USA’s daily lecturing. Above that, tax n’ spend libruls must be running the place.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:17 pmMcCain was always a lazy student, almost the bottom of his Annapolis class. Leopard spots.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:18 pmJohn McCain would be mangler-in-chief II, this time with Palin keeping an eye out for any Russians on the White House lawn.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:21 pmMcCain nuked his own foreign policy credentials.
He really needs to take his vitamins in the morning with the Cheerios and beer.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:24 pmI’m sure John McCain is even now on the phone apologizing to Obama for his comment, and that his campaign will drop everything to send the correction to the media.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:28 pmThe GOP campaign is not being run for the benefit of rational people. Every last word is now geared to keeping the 20%ers in a flock. As long a Flippy sings “Bomb Iran” and Bible Spice is “right with Jebus” the sheeple vote as a block.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:32 pmThat claim probably did not endear McCain to the current leadership of Pakistan, much of which had positions in the “failed” government deposed by the coup.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:33 pmThese Neocons sure know how to piss off the people they need most.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:35 pmRecall, of course the Chimp declaring: “A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier, there’s no question about it, ” according to Business Week, July 30, 2001
September 30th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
“…As long as I’m the dictator.”
dunno where i left the end of that quote…
September 30th, 2008 at 6:39 pmWho cares what experts on Pakistan and former ambassadors says.
John McCain KNOWS. How often does McCain have to repeat that he knows? In Fridays debate he said “I know” 18 times and Obama never said “I know” once. Thats because John McCain KNOWS.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:44 pmmcchimpy has failed and is frail.
There is hope. HAHAHAHA faux nearly-news doing what they do best.
September 30th, 2008 at 7:01 pmThis will be mcchimpy’s last days in the Senate too.
September 30th, 2008 at 7:04 pm