Mullah Omar Come Home: All is Forgiven

The incomparable Billmon is back ("Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit blogging") with a post entitled "Mullah Omar Come Home: All is Forgiven" in which he comments on Sen. Bill Frist's bizarre statement about welcoming the Taliban into the Afghan government. Billmon starts with one of his trademark "couplets" of juxtaposed quotes:

"Out of the black smoke and ashes of that terrible day, America stood up strong, united, and determined. After careful deliberation, we answered back. We toppled the Taliban in Afghanistan, where al-Qaeda had trained."

Sen. Bill Frist
Press Release: Frist Denounces Democrats' Plan to Cut and Run
June 30, 2006

_____________________

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Monday that the Afghan guerrilla war can never be won militarily and called for efforts to bring the Taliban and their supporters into the Afghan government. The Tennessee Republican said he had learned from briefings that Taliban fighters were too numerous and had too much popular support to be defeated by military means.

Associated Press
U.S. Senate majority leader calls for efforts
to bring Taliban into Afghan government
October 2, 2006

Even by Dr. Frist's standards, this is quite an Orwellian volte face: From Islamofascist menace to potential "democratic" partner in just two months.

Goebbels: Hah. I did it overnight!

Hmmm. First the Pakistanis cut a truce deal with Al Qaeda and its tribal allies in the frontier territories, and now Frist and his sidekick Mel Martinez fly to Kabul and float this trial balloon.

Something big is up. Who knows? Maybe Dr. K doing his Nixon-goes-to-China thing.

But it's awfully hard to believe the Rovians are actually going to try to sell a negotiated settlement with the Taliban and/or Al Qaeda to the American public -- not even after the election and certainly not as some sort of October surprise/political miracle weapon.

What would come next? A state visit from Bin Laden?

[...]

Update 6:56 PM ET: And now the Brits . . .

British troops battling the Taliban are to withdraw from one of the most dangerous areas of Afghanistan after agreeing a secret deal with the local people . . . It has now been agreed the troops will quietly pull out of Musa Qala in return for the Taliban doing the same.

My, this seems to be quite the day for cutting and running.