Help Wanted

Rumsfeld began his trip in Brussels at the weekend, where he suggested that US military operations in Afghanistan might eventually be put under a single NATO command.  article

Don't ask me why I'm skeptical about that. I'm just having a hard time picturing American troops taking orders from anybody else. What I'm actually having a hard time picturing is an American official stance that agrees to having our military under somebody else's command. Are we NATO now?

Meanwhile, the head of the German troops serving in the ISAF has said the body will need to remain in Afghanistan for more than a decade before the country is truly stable.

ISAF "could remain for another 14 years while the country still has need for foreign assistance" and a new generation of Afghans reaches adulthood, said Colonel Rudolf Retzer in a newspaper interview.

Retzer, who heads the 1600-strong German contingent serving in the ISAF, said the current generation had known war for 24 years and could read and write only with difficulty.

It's going to be mighty difficult to bring democracy to a land where people can't read and write. Unless, I guess, it's the American brand of democracy, because that apparently doesn't require people to read. In fact, it pretty much counts on the likelihood that they won't.

A problem is always going to exist when we try to infiltrate countries whose people are not materialistic...if they're not consumers, they're just not going to see things our way. So, that really does seem to imply that we must convert Muslims to Christianity. We just need to find another way to do it, because, obviously, the Crusades didn't work back then; a modern version with better artillary isn't going to work now.

Reuters has a less specific account coming from Powell:

"The United States welcomes a greater NATO role in Iraq's stabilization," Powell said, according to the text of prepared remarks seen by Reuters.

After meeting the foreign ministers, Powell said none of them had opposed a greater NATO role and said he did not see a need for another U.N. resolution on Iraq at this point.

I guess I'll have to find a transcript of Rumsfiend's talk, but something tells me that this is more likely to be closer to what he actually said. On the other hand, if he said "eventually" come under NATO command, then that would serve the same dodgy purpose.

And, speaking of Rumsfiend, here's a picture begging for a caption:



....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.