Organizers Take Steps to Keep Tea Party Rally Clean

By GottaLaff

If the Tea Tantrumers are trying to avoid images like these, these and these, fine and dandy. Personally, I have my doubts about how effective their "steps" will be (Roll Call is subscription only, so the excerpt below is all that was available to us).

From the Department of Too Little Too Late:

Thousands of people are expected to travel to Washington, D.C., next week to attend the April 15 rally against the policies of the Obama administration, and organizers are implementing new steps to ensure the crowd remains civil and its message is not diluted by personal attacks.

Maybe they should have thought of implementing New Rules when it was a New "Movement". Just think of all the spitting, shouting slurs and threats to Congress members they have been prevented.

I guess the blowback is finally catching up to them. Kudos to us for keeping up the pressure, shame on them for their despicable displays, and here's to a genuine effort to rein in the vile hostility.

Fear Factor: Special Comment by my 72-year-old friend

By GottaLaff

My impassioned 72-year-old Twitter pal, who goes by the name 42bkdodgr, would like to share his feelings about the way the fear mongering and hypocrisy of the GOP. I am more than happy to oblige.

But first, a personal note from 42bkdodgr:

Many of you may wonder why I chose to use the “ 72 year old friend” as the introduction to my Special Comments. I selected the moniker so readers could see that from my age and life experiences I give a different perspective to the issues of today.

Now for his Special Comment:

Fear Factor

Liz Cheney, who branded lawyers who defended accused terrorists before the Supreme Court, as Al Qaeda sympathizers, seems to have forgotten the fundamental principle of our judicial system “innocent until proven guilty”. Attorneys are taught to defend their clients no matter what their own personal opinion may be.

The fact that the Justice Department hired some of the attorneys that represented terrorists during the Bush Administration didn’t seem to matter or occur to her.

Liz, like her father, loves to use fear words and tactics to rile their base and promote their right wing agenda. If one were to use Liz’s logic, Dick Cheney who believes in torturing terrorists, or as he calls it “enhanced interrogation“, is no different than Saddam Hussein.

Liz Cheney is receiving a lot of heat for her remarks, and rightfully so, even from conservatives within the Republican party; yet the use of fear seems to be in the Cheney’s genes and that of the Republican Party.

The “fear factor” has been part of the Republican strategy since 9/11, but now we have seen that this policy is officially part of their platform to get Republicans elected in 2010, from a Power Point presentation that was made by the Republican National Committee, in Boca Grande, Florida.

Bush and the GOP have used the “fear factor” to (a) get us into an un-necessary war in Iraq, (b) re-elect Bush in 2004, (c) fight Health Care reform, (d) fight the closing Guantanamo, and (d) fight the trying of terrorists in civilian courts.

This use of the “fear factor” since the election of Barack Obama, by the Republican Party and the right wing media, I believe, is one of the factors that has led to a significant increase in American hate groups.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) published a report (Rage on the Right) this week that disclosed there was a 244% increase in the number of active Patriot Groups (militias and other extremist organizations) in 2009. Their numbers grew from 149 groups in 2008 to 512 in 2009. On March 5th we learned that the Obama Administration is considering trying the alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) in a military court instead of a civilian court in NYC.

For months the Republican Party and right wing media have been using the “fear factor” on the American public against having civilian trial for KHM. Like Liz Cheney’s undermining one of our basic legal principles, so is the Republican Party undermining the due process provision of our Constitution.

The fact that civilian trials were used to try terrorists during the Bush Administration doesn’t seem to matter to the GOP. The simple fact is, if Obama wants to do it, is enough reason for them to object. Hypocrisy at its highest level.

I beseech President Obama to support your Justice Department and bring KHM before an American civilian court to be tried for his accused crimes against humanity. To do otherwise is to play into the “fear factor” of the Republican Party and the right wing media, which will only embolden them and their supporters to continue their fear mongering methods.

Its time Mr. President to show Republicans and the right wing media that the “fear factor” doesn’t belong in American politics.

Many thanks again for another thorough, relevant piece, 42bkdodgr. You often say what many of us are thinking and feeling, and we thank you for your unique perspective.

"Rahm and Obama have turned you into a guilty, weak, self hating liberal"

By GottaLaff

(via)

Yesterday Paddy and I posted a piece called "Democrats Hate Success" that stirred things up a little, both here and on Twitter.

Below are some tweets I got from a fellow Democrat. I won't mention his name because my intention isn't to call him out specifically, or to butt heads, or provoke him into yet another uninvited argument by singling him out. This is not personal.

When I received these tweets, my responses were along the lines of, "I don't engage in fights on Twitter, thanks for your input, I agree with some of your points but not your methods, you're proving my point by name-calling", etc.

We often get baiting comments here at TPC, as well as on Twitter. I have no problem with anyone expressing his/her views, and as I told this tweeter, debate is healthy, but divisiveness is more destructive than helpful.

Let me expand slightly: Insults won't change anyone's mind. Hostility and name-calling alienate. The last thing our party needs is infighting. Express your views respectfully, stand up for your beliefs, but remain civil and accept that there are two sides to every argument.

And be accurate. Making faulty assumptions about someone else's point of view only antagonizes and/or causes disengagement, which, one would think, is not the desired effect.

Here are the tweets from yesterday, with only names removed:

You realize you're attacking Democrats, right? You support the "Cadillac tax"? Did you support it when McCain proposed it?

Bullies like [tweeter] LOVE it when you attack progressives. And you're making progressive policy seem like a wild dream.

It's not really respectful disagreement. And if you talk about 'how', please talk about the procress of this #hcr bill.

I think you're not seeing how Rahm and Obama have turned you into a guilty, weak, self hating liberal.

It's not name calling - Obama and Rahm have cowed you and others into attacking progressive positions and progressives.

Well, you know I'm fan of yours and like you. Please look at how the unions actually got some results. Wasn't by being quiet.

Well, it's true. One of the worst things about what Obama has done is the rift he's opened among progressives. It sucks.

[To a third party] Saying 'attacked' by @GottaLaff was a wrong choice of words. I think she's worn down by the whole thing.

I meant 'not your style' - I meant that you're not an attack person, that's all.

Others really got into it with him, but I don't enjoy fighting, especially when it's pointless. And the author of these tweets and I are still on good terms. Again, I'm not condemning his passion, I just don't see the value or effectiveness in his modus operandi.

Those of you who are regular readers realize I'm far from being worn down. He was right about my style, though. I save my attacks for snarky political posts, not personal ones on fellow Democrats.

So by baiting and presuming, he not only showed how little he knows me (how many times have I been called out in Comments for criticizing Obama?), but also made me want to dig my heels in more, not suddenly get an epiphany: "Gee whiz! He's right! I'm convinced! What could I have been thinking? I AM a guilty, weak, self-hating liberal! I see the light!"

I understand the frustration of so many current and former Obama supproters. What I don't understand is why anyone would feel that aligning themselves with Republicans is going to work to our advantage.

The Brainwashing of America: Special Comment by my 72-year-old friend

By GottaLaff

My very caring, impassioned 72-year-old Twitter pal, who goes by the name 42bkdodgr, would like to share his feelings about the propaganda and lies being spread about BushCo v. the Obama administration as it pertains to the so-called "War on Terrorism". I am more than happy to oblige.

But first, a personal note from 42bkdodgr:

Many of you may wonder why I chose to use the “ 72 year old friend” as the introduction to my Special Comments. I selected the moniker so readers could see that from my age and life experiences I give a different perspective to the issues of today.

Now for his Special Comment:

The Brainwashing of America

For the last year or so we have been bombarded by the likes of Peggy Noonan, Dick Cheney, Ron Christie, Rudy Giuliani, Ari Fleischer and many other prominent Republicans saying “ Bush kept us safe”.

Hearing that statement being made so many times I began to believe, the Bush/Cheney administration began on September 12, 2001 and the country had no President for the first eight months of the year. I guess subsequent events like the anthrax attack and the shoe bomber attempt to blow up an airplane aren’t dates you will find in a Republicans calendar.

But now the Republicans have started a more insidious program.

In the past couple of weeks we have read, heard and/or seen Republican strategist Mary Matalin, former Bush Press Secretary Dana Perino, Congressman Kevin McCarthy, and again Rudy Giuliani say that 9/11 didn’t happen under President Bush’s watch.

--Mary Matalin on CNN said “I was there, we inherited a recession from President Clinton, and we inherited the most tragic attack on our own soil in our nation’s history”

--Dana Perino FOX News analyst said "we did not have a terrorist attack on our country during President Bush’s term”

--Congressman McCarthy on Hardball said “the 9/11 attack, I think it was a built up problem that you saw didn’t have the intelligence. And I think, to build an intelligence, you have to go much further back to find it was a lack thereof.”

In effect Congressman McCarthy is blaming the Clinton Administration for the 9/11 attack. He seems to forget the August 6, 2001 President’s Daily Briefing, that Bin Laden was determined to strike the U.S., or the warning given by counterterrorism coordinator Richard Clarke about an al-Qaeda threat.

--Rudy Giuliani on Good Morning America said “we had no domestic attacks under Bush. We had one under Obama.”

In some cases, the person making these inaccurate statements was challenged by the interviewer about their remarks, while others just let it slip by.

I don’t think it's any coincidence that well-known Republicans are making these outlandish statements. I believe this is a concerted effort by Republicans to brainwash the American people, and so far the main stream media (MSM) has yet to connect the dots as to what is going on.

The Republican Party is trying its best to rewrite history and have the American people believe the 9/11 terrorist attack was a non-existent event during the Bush Administration. Are we living in an Alice in Wonderland world?

It is the responsibility of the MSM to rebuke any Republican or political commentator who makes either remark, and if they don’t, then it's our responsibility as citizens to make the MSM own up to their responsibilities.

The reason I say we and the media have this responsibility is because we don’t want the propaganda theory of ‘if you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually become to believe it‘ (Joseph Goebbels) to become a reality.

Many thanks again for another interesting, relevant piece, 42bkdodgr. You often say what many of us are thinking and feeling, and we thank you for your unique perspective.

Unpatriotic: Special Comment by my 72-year-old friend

By GottaLaff

(via)

My very caring, impassioned 72-year-old Twitter pal, who goes by the name 42bkdodgr, would like to share his feelings about the inappropriate false GOP patriotism and incessant fear/smear mongering as an unwelcome revival of the BushCo "War on Terrorism" theme rears its ugly head. I am more than happy to oblige.

But first, a personal note from 42bkdodgr:

Many of you may wonder why I chose to use the “ 72 year old friend” as the introduction to my Special Comments. I selected the moniker so readers could see that from my age and life experiences I give a different perspective to the issues of today.

Now for his Special Comment:

Unpatriotic

Time and time again the Republicans have proven they care more about party ideology than working with President Obama and the Democrats for what's best for the American people.

We have seen this behavior in their delaying for almost a month, the extension of unemployment insurance, dearly needed by many Americans, before they all voted in favor; and we also saw it during the debate on health care reform in both houses of Congress.

Now we are seeing it again with Republicans trying to make political hay out of the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a U.S. airliner. Instead of working with and standing by the President, they are sniping at him.

One can only imagine how the Republicans would have acted on September 11, 2001 if any Democrat had acted like Rep. Peter Hoekstra did in using the incident of Christmas day as the basis for sending out a fund raising letter. They would have been called unpatriotic.

Then there is Senator DeMint who is holding up Senate approval of Erroll Southers to head the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Agency. The reason given by DeMint is that Mr. Southers might unionize the TSA agents.

So for DeMint, it seems unions are a greater terrorist threat than Al-Qaeda terrorists. One can only shake ones head at this logic. What is even scarier, Senator DeMint is still saying he is doing the right thing, but now he is saying the Democrats are trying to rush the nominee vote; even though its been over 3 months since Obama nominated Southers for the position.

Republicans and Dick Cheney keep saying that Obama is not aggressively fighting terrorists to protect the country. I guess they don’t consider U.S. aided attacks in Yemen, on December 24th and another one the previous week, against Al-Qaeda and possibly killing two of its leaders, as not being aggressive enough.

Dick Cheney and the Republicans seem to forget President Bush let bin Laden escape from Afghanistan while his administration prepared for an unnecessary war with Iraq, based on lies and misinformation.

Not only was the war unnecessary but it help recruit more terrorists for Al-Qaeda around the world.

From the Republican outcry, I can only assume they prefer a President who uses color coded alerts before holidays and elections, that scare and frighten the American public, for political advantage in order to make it appear his administration is on top of terrorists' activities.

I certainly don’t want a president to act in such a manner; but if President Obama had used such tactics, I can assure you that Republicans would have found fault with him anyway. What we don’t need at this time are fear tactics, but some sane reasoning to resolve the difficult problem of travel security for American citizens and how to protect this country against future terrorist attacks.

Its time for the Republican Party to act as true patriots, that they always claim to be, and work with President Obama to ensure our country and all Americans around the world are safe from terrorist attacks.

Many thanks again for another interesting, relevant piece, 42bkdodgr. You never fail to say what so many of us are thinking and feeling, and we thank you for your unique perspective.

Republicanistan - A country of its own

By GottaLaff

I've made a wonderful new friend on Twitter, and some of you may already know her excellent work. Her name: Larisa Alexandrovna.

I'll give you a taste of her latest post, but only a taste. Please go here for the whole thing.

I for one don't think Obama has gone far enough in ending the many violent and destructive policies of the previous administration. But then again, I also live in this reality and have watched the changes Obama has made being attacked by right-wing extremists as a move toward socialism, communism, fascism, and every "ism" they could muster.

He has been called a democracy hating commie for his condemnation of the military coup in Honduras.

He has been attacked as a terrorist sympathizer and anti-Semite for not bombing Iran on his first day in office.

He has been called a traitor to our allies for his efforts to dismantle the missile defense shield plans in Eastern Europe - idioctically embarked on by the last administration.

He has been attacked as a traitor to our troops for pushing back against the military - industrial - complex and their propaganda outfits demanding an increase of US troops to Afghanistan.

He has been denounced as evil incarnate for daring to attempt the closing of Gitmo and suggesting that the people being held there be brought into US prisons. When the psychotics on the right side screamed we cannot have terra-terra-ists on our soil, in custody, in secure prisons (as though we don't now have terrorists in domestic prisons), he convinced other nations to take the detainees- for which he was also attacked.

In short, Obama has been attacked for efforts of diplomacy and attempts to dismantle the violence of the previous administration.

See? Told you she was good. Now go read the rest.

New Rightie meme: Democrats = Ego

By GottaLaff

There seems to be a meme emerging from the right:

Periodically, conservatives latch onto a new line of attack against President Obama. Apparently, the new one is "narcissism." Marty Peretz talked it up yesterday in a bizarre piece, and George Will endorsed the argument in his column today.

There you have it. Cheap shots are the new red.

When I broke the "Should Obama be killed?" Facebook poll and reported it to the Secret Service, I got this comment:

Anonymous said...

why do all poltical bloggers and talk show hosts have such inflated egos?

Generalize much?

Yesterday I posted about how proud Paddy and I were to have been included in such great company, re: Wikio's Top 100 Political Poll. Here's what another Anonymous said...

congrads on the traffic spike but you should be a little more humble about it since the reason your traffic spiked was due to an assassination threat against the president. that's serious business and breaking out the proverbial party hats and bubbly is unseemly behavior.

You can read my reply, just follow the link. Funny how the most critical commenters won't identify themselves, even with a pseudonym.

Anyway, after putting up the Facebook poll post, I got an e-mail from the developer of the app for the poll. In it, he defended himself and then he added a jab that was puzzling to me.

Note: He claimed he was an Obama voter. But his first instinct after having been put on the spot was to attack with the ol' E word synonyms:

As it stands now, Facebook has disabled the entire application (not
just that one poll), which is frustrating for me and will be taking up
most of my time for the next few days. I'm sure I'll also get a call
from the Secret Service which will be awesome.

I understand you're enjoying your 15 minutes of blogging fame and are feeling pretty righteous right now, but keep in mind this could have been resolved in a much less public and destructive way if you had taken the time to reach out to me first.

Then, some wingnut who got a kick out of calling me "Buttercup" wrote up an entire post on his site about my apparent narcissism:

The blogger that started this — “GottaLaff,” at the The Political Carnival — is luxuriating in the reflected glow of petty fame from having reported an asshole on Facebook to the Secret Service.

Do I sense a trend here? And I'm just some "nobody" blogger, not the president.

I find it amusing that they can't tell the difference between being a good citizen and craving fame. These people also really need to learn to differentiate between feelings of accomplishment, or of having done the right thing, as opposed to arrogance or cockiness.

I kid. They know the difference, we all know that.

Just a guess, but if a Washington Times reporter or someone from Fox had reported the same thing, I bet they wouldn't be accused of being a glory hound.

Angie Coiro, who interviewed me on the Radio Machine, made this a main topic of our conversation, so it seems many of us are raising our eyebrows at this pathetic and rather laughable lashing out.

By shaking the shiny keys of groundless and nonsensical insults, these whiners can try to distract from the real issues of the day, but it just makes them look weak, petty, and desperate.

If this is all the right has left in their arsenal, they're in bigger trouble than we thought.

H/t: Gr8RDH

McCain: I'm 'saddened' by 'vicious attacks' on Sarah the Quitter

By GottaLaff

I think J Sid and S the Q have been pallin' around with the wrong people. They sound even battier than usual. Today it's J Sid's turn:

“I respect Sarah Palin,” McCain said in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union [...]

McCain also told King he continues to “be saddened by the fact that there are still such vicious attacks on her and her family.”

“I've never seen anything quite like it,” added McCain.

Oh really? Then maybe he should click on the links I've provided below. He'll get a real eyeful.

I really get tired of hearing myself say this over and over, but I won't stop until J Sid McCain stops. You want vicious attacks? Here's your vicious attacks.

Reminder #1: Um, J Sid, who do you think you're fooling? Pot. Kettle. C-Word.

Reminder #2: Sarah the Quitter has a history of vicious attacks. Compared to the onslaught of racist hate speech she encouraged during the 2008 elections, the snark and/or criticism of Palin have been a bubble bath.

Pop! Sarah's bubble burst.

Hyp. O. Crites.

GOP rebranding: Throw rocks, hope Dems screw up, or we're toast

By GottaLaff

All rise. The Cantor Council's Rock-Throwing Committee is in session.:

The newest GOP group aimed at re-energizing the troubled party will hold a second event next week, but political observers say a Republican comeback depends more on Democrats screwing up.

“For the out party to come back, the in party has to screw up. That's history,” said John Pitney, a political scientist at Claremont McKenna College.

At this point, the GOP is history.

The National Council for New America, the group launched in early May by House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (Va.), will host another event on July 22, The Hill reported Thursday.[...]

Cantor is a rising star in the party, and his group is intended to be a GOP think-tank that will help the party come up with the new arguments and ideas to return to power.

But political observers are skeptical of what new ideas will emerge. They also say it might not matter.

“Are there any new ideas in the Republican Party? I don't think so. Does it matter in the short term? Probably not,” said Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report. “They're going to succeed in the short term by throwing rocks and by attacking.”

Will they hit anything? Probably not.

Female FBI officer 'tortured Mumbai terror attacks suspect with sex'

By GottaLaff

Uh-huh, sure, of course, it's our freedoms they hate us for... not this:

A female FBI officer tortured a suspect in the Mumbai terrorist attacks by performing a sex act on him during interrogation, it has been claimed.

Fahim Ansari is accused of helping to plan the attacks in which 173 people were killed in November.

His lawyer, Ejaz Naqvi, has filed legal papers with Mumbai magistrate's court, claiming the "white woman" removed all his clothes and showed him pornographic films.

In the papers, he claims that three foreigners, including the woman, sexually abused him, causing him "severe itching and wounds" on his body, including his genitals.

Mr Ansari, a devout Muslim, claims this amounts to torture because it is against his religion, The Sun newspaper has reported.

A court in the Indian city ordered medical checks on "wounds on his private parts and all over his body."

You know what depresses me? That, based on what I've learned over the past 8 years, I'm more inclined to believe him than not.

Quote-O'-The-Day: Obama in the Knesset edition

By GottaLaff

Obama may be deferring to We-Only-Have-One President [sic] Bush about the Gaza mess, but, like it or not, his influence is already being felt. Barak on Barack:

This from Defense Minister Ehud Barak on the floor of the Knesset:

"Obama said that if rockets were being fired at his home while his two daughters were sleeping, he would do everything he could to prevent it," Barak told the plenum.

The defense minister said that Israel is engaged in a "war to the bitter end" against Hamas in Gaza.

(via Crowley)

Quack quack, We-Only-Have-One-President [sic] Bush.

McCain warns Pakistan of Indian strikes

By GottaLaff

There is enough evidence of the involvement of former ISI officers in the Mumbai terror attacks, McCain said.

Via CLG:

US Senator John McCain has said he believes that if Pakistan does not act against individuals and groups linked to the Mumbai Terror attacks, it could be a "matter of days" before India carries out surgical strikes against such elements. There is enough evidence of the involvement of former Inter-Services Intelligence officers in the planning and execution of the Mumbai attacks and terrorist training camps are still operational in Pakistan, McCain told a small group of senior Pakistani journalists at an informal lunch in Lahore on Saturday.

I wonder if Sarah Palin will come out with a statement, being the expert on foreign affairs that she is. If and when she does, I'm confident she'll dress for the occasion.

RNC keeps up campaign-style attacks on Obama

By GottaLaff

For a party that supported their so-called "uniter-not-divider"-in-chief through two elections, they have a funny way of reaching out to their new president:

With each day’s announcement of another cabinet or White House appointment, the Republican National Committee has been blitzing out critical statements that look no different from the blasts issued throughout the campaign. [...]

Here is how the party has characterized various selections made by Mr. Obama:

¶On Representative Rahm Emanuel as White House chief of staff: “Barack Obama’s first decision as president-elect undermines his promise to ‘heal the divides.’ Rahm Emanuel is a partisan insider who played a lead role in breaking Washington.”

¶On David Axelrod, Mr. Obama’s campaign strategist, as White House senior adviser: “For a president-elect who promised to change the tone in Washington, it’s disappointing that he is filling his White House with partisan bomb-throwers. When people think of ‘change,’ they don’t think of political consultants like David Axelrod.”

¶On Tom Daschle, the former Democratic majority leader in the Senate, as secretary of health and human services: “For voters hoping to see new faces and fewer lobbyist-connections in government, Daschle’s nomination will be another disappointment. Obama promised to change America’s health care system, but his nominee to be secretary is no change agent.”

¶On Eric H. Holder Jr., the former deputy attorney general, as attorney general: “Instead of bringing the bipartisan ‘change’ to Washington that he promised voters, Barack Obama is rewarding yet another one of his political loyalists in Eric Holder. The only person who thinks Eric Holder represents ‘hope’ is Marc Rich,” the convicted financier pardoned by President Bill Clinton with Mr. Holder’s acquiescence.

Now contrast all that with this:

The Obama transition office brushed off the attacks. “We’re busy putting a government together with the best and most qualified people from all sectors of our economy and our country,” said Stephanie Cutter, the transition spokeswoman. “Given the challenges facing this country, the president-elect has made it clear that he plans to govern in bipartisanship, because it will take all of us to get things done. We hope that same spirit is shared by others as well.”

RNC: Righties Never Change.

Pakistan and U.S. Have Tacit Deal On Airstrikes

By GottaLaff

Everything I've read this morning tells me that the world is waiting for President-elect Obama, and that they are ready, willing, and looking forward to working with him. In fact, President Zardari has already spoken with John Kerry as he looks forward to an Obama administration.

Meanwhile, there is an agreement of sorts, between Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and can't-come-soon-enough-soon-to-be-former-President Bush:

The United States and Pakistan reached tacit agreement in September on a don't-ask-don't-tell policy that allows unmanned Predator aircraft to attack suspected terrorist targets in rugged western Pakistan, according to senior officials in both countries. In recent months, the U.S. drones have fired missiles at Pakistani soil at an average rate of once every four or five days. [...]

A senior Pakistani official said that although the attacks contribute to widespread public anger in Pakistan, anti-Americanism there is closely associated with President Bush. Citing a potentially more favorable popular view of President-elect Barack Obama, he said that "maybe with a new administration, public opinion will be more pro-American and we can start acknowledging" more cooperation. [...]

Zardari spoke over the telephone with Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), a conversation Pakistani officials said they considered an initial contact with the incoming Obama administration. Although Kerry has been mentioned as a possible secretary of state, the officials said he indicated that he expects to continue in the Senate, where he is in line to take over Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s position as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. [...]

Pakistan, whose military has received more than $10 billion in direct U.S. payments since 2001, also wants the United States to provide sophisticated weapons to its armed forces, Zardari said. Rather than using U.S. Predator-fired missiles against Pakistani territory, he asked, why not give Pakistan its own Predators? "Give them to us. . . . we are your allies," he said. [...]

Two former senior intelligence officials familiar with the use of the Predator in Pakistan said the rift between Islamabad and Washington over the unilateral attacks was always less than it seemed.

"By killing al-Qaeda, you're helping Pakistan's military and you're disrupting attacks that could be carried out in Karachi and elsewhere," said one official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Pakistan's new acquiescence coincided with the new government there and a sharp increase in domestic terrorist attacks, including the September bombing of the Marriott hotel in Islamabad.

"The attacks inside Pakistan have changed minds," the official said. "These guys are worried, as they should be."