He doesn’t seem to have addressed the question of whether or not large segments of Islam are at war with us, and what the implications of that might be. He doesn’t seem to have addressed how it is that Pakistan can be a “key anti-terror ally” when it has funneled much of the money it has received from the U.S. to fight jihadists to those same jihadists. He doesn’t seem to have addressed the involvement of Pakistan’s spy service in jihad activity, including the Mumbai jihad massacre. Instead, he yet again reflected the core Obama Administration assumption (shared by many on the other side of the political fence as well) that it is incumbent upon the U.S. to reassure and mollify the Islamic world, as if the causes for the suspicion and conflict were all our fault.
“Biden tells Pakistan: ‘We are not the enemy of Islam,'” by Claire Truscott for AFP, January 12:
ISLAMABAD — US Vice President Joe Biden delivered a bold message of support for key anti-terror ally Pakistan during a trip to Islamabad Wednesday, telling the country that America is “not the enemy of Islam”….
“There are… some sections in Pakistani society and elsewhere that suggest America disrespects Islam and its followers,” Biden told reporters at the prime minister’s residence.
“We are not the enemies of Islam and we embrace those who practise that great religion in all our country,” he added.
As Biden wrapped up his visit, a suicide blast in the northwest town of Bannu killed 18 people, most of them security officers, and injured 15 in an attack claimed by the Taliban as revenge for US missile strikes in the area.
Biden said militancy in Pakistan was a threat to both countries, and he referred to the killing last week of Punjab governor Salman Taseer, who was shot dead by his bodyguard over his outspoken opposition to strict blasphemy laws.
The confessed killer has been hailed a hero by religious conservatives and rallies have been held across the country in his honour.
“Societies that applaud such actions end up being consumed by those actions,” Biden said….
US officials have announced they will fast-track part of a 7.5-billion-dollar five-year aid package to help the country recover from devastating floods last year.…
Pakistan won US praise after it mounted an offensive against homegrown Taliban extremists in the South Waziristan region in late 2009.
But a White House report to Congress in October stated bluntly that Pakistan had not confronted Afghanistan’s Taliban, in what experts see as a bid by Islamabad to preserve influence over its northern neighbour….
Yep.