Puppet Problems: Missing the Point on Karzai

I don't know if Shari Lewis ever faced a Lamb Chop rebellion, but suddenly America's hand-picked puppet in Kabul is talking trash. Given that the working definition of an "honest" politician in Washington is one who stays bought, this has led to much tut-tutting and head-shaking among the wise men of our foreign policy establishment.

It seems to me they're mostly missing the point of Karzai's backtalk--because if our hand-picked puppet ruler doesn't want us around, seriously, who does?

Doesn't that mean it's time for us to end our occupation? And doesn't that make voting no on the upcoming supplemental to fund more escalation the only sensible vote?

My friend David Swanson certainly thinks so, and has started a Congressional whip list at the web site www.DefundWar.org

David also published the testimony he's going to give Sunday at a peace forum in Massachusetts, listing the reasons why the local Congressman should vote no on the escalation funding. It's a powerful, intelligent, moral piece of writing, and it would be worth your while to read it.

David has offered to help others revise it to use to put pressure on their own Congressperson. This would be especially useful for those of you inclined to join PDA's (Progressive Democrats of America) monthly "brownbag not teabag" gatherings to end the wars--the next brownbags are (mostly) scheduled for Wednesday, April 21. There were 89 brownbags in March--let's keep the number going up!

So push your Congressperson to vote no on the Afghanistan funding. Push him or her to support Rep. Jim McGovern's "flexible timetable" exit strategy proposal. And join PDA's brownbags to end the war. After all, if even the puppet's saying no, shouldn't we?