Saturday, March 15, 2008

ISN'T IT ROMANTIC?


Speaking by videoconference with U.S. military and civilian personnel in Afghanistan about the challenges posed by war, corruption, and the poppy trade, the president (King George II)unleashed this comment:

"I must say, I'm a little envious. If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed. It must be exciting for you … in some ways romantic, in some ways, you know, confronting danger. You're really making history, and thanks. "

According to a Reuters reporter who was permitted to observe the exchange between Washington and Kabul, Bush sat at the head of a conference table in the White House, where he was flanked by Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and others. Neither of them had ever experienced combat (romance), either.


As of September of last year, according to Human Rights Watch, NATO was causing alarmingly high numbers of civilian deaths — 350 by the coalition, compared with 438 by the insurgents. The sheer tonnage of metal raining down on Afghanistan was mind-boggling: a million pounds between January and September of 2007, compared with half a million in all of 2006. How's that for romance?

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