Tough guys don't talk

Prisoner exchanges have occurred throughout history during wars hot and cold and although I may be wrong, talk about humanitarian gestures "emboldening the enemy" don't seem to have prevented them. Such talk has certainly been the backbone of George Bush's policies toward anyone with whom we happen to be engaged militarily however and indeed even the niceties of the Geneva Accords or the demands of basic human decency have been scoffed at because they would "embolden the enemy." Of course an enemy who is quite willing to blow himself to bits to kill you is hard to depict as lacking anything in the boldness department, but we're talking about a George Bush policy. Brain sold separately.

When the Taliban offered the release of the female Korean prisoners, their families dared to hope that Karzai and Bush would be able to negotiate the release of the women in exchange for the release of imprisoned Afghani women held by the US. It appears their hopes have been dashed. I have no idea whether Karzai could have been persuaded to make a deal, but he'd never be able to persuade Bush who is determined not to "embolden the enemy" no matter how many women have to die. Tough guys don't talk - at least not in the world of George Bush and cowboy movies.

As I said, they've got a vast reservoir of bold to draw from and every chance we pass up to appear to be less of the amoral monster the world see us as will help them spread it around and around the world. While George W. Bush is allowed to continue to make us as popular as Satan himself, the Taliban and al Qaeda and their allies don't need to spend a dime on recruiting.

I'm not of course apologising for the pigs who take women as hostages. Whether or not these poor women survive, I hope their captors find the 72 virgins who await them in heaven and may each virgin be a sadist named Hassan.