Karzai and Musharraf Hanging Out

The presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan have been in the U.S. all week, doing the talk show scene, and having dinners with President Bush. (I can't imagine what those dinners must be like; 'Could you pass the awkward silence, Mr. President?').

They each blame the other for the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, but they both realize the importance of having the U.S. on their side. Musharraf was of course a supporter and his administration a funder of the Taliban in Afghanistan from the Pakistan military coup in '99 up until 9-11; then the U.S.'s ultimatum convinced him that siding with the U.S. was a much smarter move than opening up the possibility of an Indian-U.S. alliance. To his credit, though, he drinks a lot of whiskey and owns dogs; two things no self-respecting fundamentalist Muslim would be involved in. He's viewed as a moderate to most western countries; his flip-flopping on various issues (from nuclear arms to Kashmir to the Taliban) reveals his truly political nature. Actually, it is this very self-serving nature which makes him a great ally in the region; it's something we can at least relate to.

Karzai needs the U.S. the most, of course. He wouldn't be where he is without Bush, and his country, as big a mess as it is now, is being somewhat vaguely held together by the U.S. and United Nations support. His influence outside the capital city is so laughably low that he is jokingly referred to as 'the mayor of Kabul'. In his favor, he dresses impeccably; he is particularly known for his capes and fezzes. He was actually featured as one of the best-dressed men in the special 2004 Afghanistan issue of GQ (if anyone has any copies of this, I am willing to pay a pretty penny for it). Any man as vain as Karzai can be counted on to do our bidding, that's for sure.

Bush counting these men amongst his greatest allies in the war on terror is really redundant; the U.S.'s clout is its greatest ally in the war on terror. Bush could be saying anything; Karzai and Musharraf would be 100% behind him if he announced that the three of them would be living together on Jupiter by 2010.

Also, it appears from the picture at the top of this post that President Bush's crotch is being questioned.