Charlie Dent Calls From Islamabad

It seems to have faded from the news. But the fact remains that 160,000 US troops are currently stationed in Iraq, part of a surge that many analysts now consider a success, having reduced both Iraqi and US deaths.

If Iraq is fading from our fickle memories, Afghanistan is totally forgotten.

Yet twenty-seven thousand US troops remain there. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is considering sending a three thousand soldier "mini-surge" to combat an increasingly violent Taliban insurgency.

President Hamid Karzai has embraced a "divide and conquer" strategy of appealing to moderate chieftains to weaken hard-liners with ties to al-Qaeda fighters. But militants like Baitullah Mehsud, who commands more than twenty thousand fighters, easily crosses the porous borders between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Afghan officials would like us to attack safe havens in Pakistan. Should we? George Bush himself has stated that the war on terror "knows no borders," but US-led forces in Afghanistan have no current intention of crossing into troubled Pakistan without invitation.

The biggest question in Pakistan right now is whether democracy can survive, if it ever existed in the first place. A possible death blow has been dealt by the assassination of Benzair Bhutto. Elections have been delayed until February 18. But there's an even bigger fear, at least for us. Al-Qaeda operatives, who have infiltrated the Pakistani government, might seize nuclear warheads.

It's a mess! Much of it is the result of our own foreign policy blunders.

If you're a Republican in Congress, and would like to stay there, your political handlers would undoubtedly be telling you to distance yourself from anything that might awaken a public whose gaze appears to be fixed elsewhere.

Cut a few ribbons! Hand out a few cardboard checks!

But until a few hours ago, Lehigh Valley Congressman Charlie Dent was in Afghanistan. And now he's in Pakistan, part of a Veterans' Affairs Congressional delegation visiting both troubled countries this week.

Instead of doing what's politically expedient, he's doing his job.

The original purpose of his trip was to monitor elections that never occurred. But now, he's met with officials who run Pakistan's nuclear program. In Afghanistan, he's had an opportunity to see our troops. Around noon, Dent telephoned a few reporters from Islamabad, and their reports of that conversation should prove quite interesting. And just a few minutes ago, he called me, a blogger. It was after midnight for him.

Here's part of that fascinating conversation.

Do you think the mini-surge strategy proposed by Defense Secretary Gates will help?

I'm sure the people on the ground there would like a little more help. The military has been building hospitals and schools, working with farmers, treating children, in what is a very rough place. It seems that civilization has passed this country by. People still live in mud huts, but they have some hope. We are bearing more than half the burden there, and are thankful for our allies there. But we could use some additional help from them, too.

Is there any hope for democracy in Pakistan? Some believe elections may be delayed a year, and that those conducted will be rigged. How do you feel?

Pakistan has a very educated population. I can't really tell you how fair they are, but there certainly is a lot of political competition among three major parties. I think the real question is whether we can work with and have a relationship with the victors, and we have a good history with all three major parties. We can work with them all.

There are concerns, especially in the International Atomic Energy Agency, that Al-Qaeda sympathizers have infiltrated the Pakistani government and might seize nuclear warheads. What is your view? Are these concerns real?

I've met with the head of Pakistan's nuclear program. My assessment is that it's a pretty strong program. The state department has stated the chances of a seizure are remote. There are some serious control mechanisms in place to prevent that from happening. The most moderating influence in Pakistan, believe it or not, is its military. The Army has been a moderating influence, a check on the political excesses elsewhere. They are absolutely insistent that this could never happen. There is actually a perception among some Pakistanis that this is being used as an excuse to take over their program. We have no such intentions.

During our conversation, the always cheerful Dent spoke of the jingle trucks in Pakistan that he likes so much and his hopes that we can develop a good working relationship there. He clearly likes both countries and their people. But just today, at least twenty-six Pakistani police officers were killed by a suicide bomber. I'll rest easier when Charlie is back. I'd rather see him facing the slings and arrows of anonymous bloggers here than bomb fragments there.

Update: Charlie Dent's conversation with Capital Cahir is reported here.
Update #2: Pam Varknoy also received a call form Charlie, and her touching account is here.
Update #3: Josh Drobnyk's excellent report, which focues on the nuclear possibilities, is located here.