Oh to be a fly on the wall. And to hear what was said between Obama and Pakistan PM, Yousef Raza Gilani on his three day visit to the beltway… well… that’s exactly what you’d have to be.
First we have Obama’s typical reenactment version of a “productive and wide ranging discussion”:
“I had a productive and wide-ranging discussion with Prime Minister Gilani,” Obama said in the statement. “Pakistan is an extremely important partner to the United States, and we covered a number of issues vital to the security of both our nations. We discussed how to more effectively deal with the central front in the war on terrorism — the threat from al Qaeda and the Taliban originating from the Pakistani tribal areas — which threatens the United States, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
“We also discussed how to bolster opportunity for the Pakistani people, while consolidating democracy, the rule of law, and human rights in Pakistan, and curbing the proliferation of nuclear materials. Each of these steps is necessary to bring peace and stability to an increasingly volatile region of the world, and I look forward to working with the democratically elected government of Pakistan to make progress on these issues in the future.”
Gilani’s version of the meeting - terse as it was - was reported in Dawn today … and is decidedly more muted:
Talking to the Pakistani media in Washington, Mr Gilani described his meeting with White House hopeful Barack Obama earlier on Tuesday as positive.
“He supports democracy in Pakistan and he supports Pakistan’s sovereignty,” said Mr Gilani.
“Since he does not want to publicise the meeting so close to the election, we are not talking about it.”
“…does not want to publicise the meeting so close to the election…”? Odd request from a candidate, brimming with self-confidence, who touts “transparency” and change as his campaign calling card. You remember him… the one who went out of his way to announce that the US has only “one president” at a time, then holds a joint news conference with French foreign leadership?
But wait! Didn’t Obama… in his own statement above… tell us what they talked about?
Hummm, okay. I’m trying to imagine the PM steering the conversation with the jr. Senator to one about Pakistan’s human rights, curbing nuke materials and Pakistan’s rule of law - issues all of which I would guess the PM would consider pertinent to his government, and none of Obama’s or the US’s business.
And considering that Gilani feels they are being as “effective” as possible in fighting the militants, I’ll have to wager that the “more effectively deal with terrorists” bit was also emanating from BHO’s mouth.
All of which leaves me with the impression from Obama’s own statement that he did a boatload of suggesting and/or lecturing, and very little listening. But then, it’s pure speculation on my part. Because, you see, BHO doesn’t want us to know what the discussions were about… at least not from Gilani’s viewpoint.
Then again, as I pointed out in my Jul 21st post, “Where Obama fears to tread…”, the DNC’s “barely chosen one” has a good year of aggressive and threatening policies towards Pakistan under his belt. He’s got some bridge building to do. Perhaps he left that meeting with the gut feeling Gilani was not necessarily going to give him a glowing review. And we all know that when Obama doesn’t get glowing reviews, he’s not a happy camper.
Now, if our favorite Obamatrons here think that perhaps Gilani’s choice of the word “positive” was a measure of success, or (dare I say it) Pakistani approval, you might want to contrast Gilani’s next choice of words in that same article when discussing his meeting with the dreaded and hated, Dubya…
Mr Gilani described his meeting with President George W. Bush at the White House on Monday as “excellent” and once again assured the Pakistani media that he was no seeking America’s guarantee for Pakistan’s sovereignty.
~~~Asked why Pakistan needs America’s guarantee for its sovereignty, the prime minister said: “We do not need such a guarantee from any one but if they offer it on their own, I see no harm.”
Or, as put in AAJ-TV, Pakistan:
“It was excellent. He (Bush) expressed support for democracy and respect for sovereignty of Pakistan,” Gilani said in reply to a question during a brief chat with Pakistani media.
“Excellent”… quite a strong word Gilani has there for a guy who liberal/progressives - and their “presumptuous nominee” - tell us have badly damaged world relations.
And what a contrast in adjectives between the “excellent” talks with the much maligned Bush, and the “positive” talks with the man who-would-be-the-global-savior/uniter.
Then again, Gilani’s got his own problems on the home front… considered a weak PM, sandwiched in between Pakistan’s army and the US global war on Islamic jihad movements. Portrayed more as a shadow leader behind Nawaz and Zardari, perhaps kudos from him aren’t all they are cracked up to be anyway.
On the eve of his official visit to the United States, Mr Gilani issued an order bringing the country’s premier spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), under the control of the interior ministry and therefore more fully under civilian command.
Just hours later, the government was forced to reverse the decision after the army and the president, Pervez Musharraf, a former army chief, voiced their displeasure. In unusually candid words, Maj Gen Athar Abbas, an army spokesman, called the proposed new arrangement “unworkable” and the result of “miscommunication”.
~~~It is thought that Mr Gilani had timed the ISI move for his meeting with George W Bush, after increasingly shrill voices from Washington and Kabul had complained that the intelligence agency was secretly supporting militants in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
~~~Nominally, the ISI is under the control of the prime minister. In reality, however, it is run by the military, pursuing the army’s agenda. The current ISI chief, Lt Gen Nadeem Taj, is close to Mr Musharraf, not the civilian government of Mr Gilani. The army chief, Gen Ashfaq Kayani, is a former head of the ISI. Mr Gilani had sought to gain greater actual power over the ISI by placing it under the command of the interior ministry. The failure of the move was described by the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Q as a “coup against the prime minister”.
Asif Ali Zardari, the leader of Mr Gilani’s Pakistan People’s Party, had hailed the decision, saying: “No one will now be able to say that this agency is not under the elected government’s control.” After the U-turn, he admitted: “anyone can make mistakes in such situation, but nobody should doubt our intentions.”
Woof… talking about speaking and being bold, and rapidly being humbled by the supposedly ostracized and hated Musharraf. Perhaps he’s not as impotent as portrayed afterall.
Comparing the present regime with Musharraf’s, the magazine says that the previous government possessed more appeal for Washington as he had control of both the Army and the Government.
“By contrast, the Musharraf years held obvious appeal for Washington. As a man in control of both the army and the government, the former army chief wielded greater power, and where necessary, could be counted to resist public opinion. Gilani’s struggling government is deeply susceptible to public opinion, with recent polls consistently recording majorities hostile to the use of military force (against militants),” the Daily Times quoted the magazine as saying. (ANI)
Yup… I still say the Pakistan relations will be the biggest challenge for the next POTUS. And apparently, the one who’s holding the E-ride tickets to both Musharraf and the Gilani coalition government is still George W. Bush. Won’t that be the bitter pill to swallow for the new wave internationalist party, the DNC?
Now, desirous of giving “equal” time to the “also ran” - McCain - I had to turn to a Pakistan publication because not one, single, solitary… did I mention zip, nada none?… American media outlet deigned to acknowledge the GOP candidate had contact with Gilani.
Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain has said if elected he would support fostering relations with Pakistan and work closely with the country on areas of common interest.
In a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, the presumptive Republican nominee, who was out of Washington on Monday, said he is aware of Pakistan’s challenges. The conversation lasted for about 20 minutes.
Gilani spoke of the importance of forging long-term strategic relationship between Pakistan and the United States and said the elected government is committed to socio-economic uplift of the people.
McCain, who has been appreciative of Pakistan’s anti-terrorism efforts over the years, advocates developing close cooperation with the country in eliminating terrorism along Pakistan-Afghanistan border. He has recently proposed enhancing cooperative efforts in various socio-economic fields.
No comments from Gilani INRE his conversations with McCain. Apparently none of the media believe asking about the “also ran’s” encounter with the PM is news worthy…. handy if, by chance, McCain wanted that discussion to remain under wraps too. When you’re ignored, there’s no need to ask, right?
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