“All together now…Do the Hokey Pokey!”
Over the past six years, the Bush administration has spent almost $100 million on a highly classified program to help General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan’s president, secure his country’s nuclear weapons, according to current and former senior administration officials.
The aid, buried in secret portions of the federal budget, paid for the training of Pakistani personnel in the United States and the construction of a nuclear security training center in Pakistan, a facility that U.S. officials say is nowhere near completion, even though it was supposed to be in operation this year.
While U.S. officials say that they believe the arsenal is safe at the moment, and that they take at face value Pakistani assurances that security is vastly improved, in many cases the Pakistani government has been reluctant to show U.S. officials how or where the gear is actually used.
The New York Times has known details of the secret program for more than three years, based on interviews with a variety of U.S. officials and nuclear experts, some of whom were concerned that Pakistan’s arsenal remained vulnerable. The newspaper agreed to delay publication of the article after considering a request from the Bush administration, which argued that premature disclosure could hurt the effort to secure the weapons.
Ah – more news not fit to print. Because George W. Bush says so.
I’ll bet everyone else in Asia is reassured by American “oversight” of a petty dictator who sort of supports White House politics.
I saw reported last week that the main aspect of this security program is to keep the weapons in a “dissassembled” condition? Maybe so.
It would be nice to think that while I disagree with BushCo on just about “everything” that atleast they could be competent? Maybe so, but probably just a scheme to transfer tax dollars to Bush’s library of Cheney’s retirement plan.
Alternative photo title:
“So, yours is that big, well, mine is this big.”
If this program is all plum, why are the crazy neocons calling for an invasion of pakistan to grab their nuclear weapons and bring them to Nevada? I understand Obama wanted to invade the northern regions to get Osama too, but that’s beside the point.
Knowing what I know about the Pakistan military, I’d be VERY SURPRISED if they revealed all their nukes to the USA.
Worse, I’d expect that one wing of the Pakistan military and another wouldn’t fully reveal to each other, with Musharraf not fully in the loop.
It’s a strong cultural value to gather power and protect it, always holding some cards in secret. I can’t imagine it doesn’t’ take place in the military, including their nuke programs.
It has been to long since some one has used a nuke in anger. Maybe it is about time some one used one. Just to remind people why they are such a bad idea.
King George’s march to Democracy is sure selective. Here he supports a dictator, which nearly always comes back to haunt us. King George promotes supporting the people of the world in their struggle for Democracy, but chose to do it when it doesn’t harm our money or power interests. Just maybe that’s why we have no respect throughout the rest of the world. We have a history of this behavior but it has gotten worse over the decades.
It would behoove everyone to remember that Mushy has numerous hardcore Islamic fundies in high Army positions – including on his own staff.
What we should be concerning ourselves with is getting those superstitous morans as far from anything remotely resembling a nuclear weapon as is humanly possible.
Reality based community strikes again.
You hacks are missing the point.
A limited nuclear war between Pakistan and India would decrease global temperatures for ten years by about 5 degrees, eliminating much of global warming.
Likewise, it would eliminate our second biggest competitor for oil resources.
Sounds like a winner to me.
Not to change the subject but does anyone else think that the photo shows a Bush “look alike” and not the real prez.?
9,
I guess the human cost is inconsequential to you. Figures.
I’m disgusted that our government throws huge sums of money around like it’s nothing.
>>Lauren the Ghoti
You got that right. It is no secret — even within Pakistan … ESPECIALLY within Pakistan — that Pakistan supports terrorism.
But the Bush administration has chosen to send them BILLIONS of our dollars.
Anyone think those Bushie goofballs have thought this thing through?
Gee – is that a bulletproof vest that General Pervez Musharraf is wearing? When al-Queda takes him out, I sure hope we know where all the nukes are.