[Beats head in to desk, grey matter leaks from ears]

I'm pretty cynical when it comes to conservative governance, and the Republican party in particular, and the Bush Administration when it comes to extra-particular. But even I am sometimes shocked and appalled by how fucking stupid these people are. From McClatchy:

Pakistani generals and other leaders are also infuriated by President Bush's pursuit of a strategic relationship with India, their foe in three wars, as embodied by a U.S.-Indian civilian nuclear cooperation pact that won United Nations approval Friday, the U.S. officials and experts said.

"One thing we never understood is that India has always been the major threat for Pakistan," said former U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Wendy Chamberlain, now the president of the Middle East Institute.

Argh. My head. I don't even know where to begin. But let's start with this: who in their right minds would think that US interests in Central Asia would trump Pakistan's long-term rivalry with India? Nobody with a right mind, that's who.

Us squishy liberals talk a lot about the problems of American narcissism in foreign policy, and this is a concrete example of what we mean: failing to understand that Pakistan supported and supports the Taliban and Al-Qaeda for actual reasons, and that unless we address those reasons Pakistan will find ways to pursue the same goals. McClatchy again:

Pakistan, which refuses to allow Indian products through its port of Karachi, has long coveted Afghanistan as a market, a trade route to central Asia and a rear area for its army in any new conflict with India.

Of course, Pakistan so "covets" Afghanistan that for 30 years they've done them the favour of supporting total nutters who took the country from war-torn hellscape to peaceful-because-it's-a-wasteland hellscape. Which just goes to show there's more than enough assholes to go around.

via.