somethings... you just can't put a price on.

This past week has been rough...........

I am quickly learning what it's really like to be a journalist... vicarious through the rock star I get to kiss... on occasion.. when he's not out... well... being a rock star. I am a very lucky to... at the very least... be around him on a reuglar basis... not only because he is a genuinely good guy... but also because he is one of the... if not the smartest person I have ever met. I am learning so much from him... its absolutely ridiculous. And maybe you can learn something too. Posted here are the past two emails I recieved from him... from Islamabad, Pakistan. Enjoy.


Wednesday September 6, 2007 --
I might return from Pakistan weighing a ton more. Everyone we meet wants to serve tea and something to eat. During one visit we had a sandwich of indeterminate variety. During another, fried something. Cookies were served at a third house. Caffeine and crap…a heck of a combination…but one indicative of the hospitality here. The Pakistanis I've met seem eager to share their story and, in most instances, to share how they believe the American government and their own government have erred. This trip has been a peek into the looking glass (and I'm not talking about the band…there's no brandy here…see my last dispatch). The Pakistanis I've talked to find fault with much of what Americans have been told over the last 6 years. Many see the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as assaults on Islam. Others say US pressure on Pakistan to crack down on jihadists as only emboldened them. They remind me that what we think of now as the Taliban was, in large part, a creation of the Pakistani intelligence service and the CIA to recruit holy warriors for the fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan. They say it is insane to think desperate people in the tribal areas could ever find their way to America to cause us harm. Of course, a recent NYPD report points out the biggest threat comes not from the tribal areas but from people radicalized in the west. More on that in an upcoming ABC News Radio one-hour special. Check local listings. They say the Pakistani army has lost its will to fight extremist groups comprised of their own people and point to the recent capture of 300 soldiers by militants…without a single shot being fired…as evidence. And they talk of the need for democracy and their disappointment the US props up the current unelected military man leading the country now. Maybe it's a good thing they serve food. My brain needs the sustenance. One of the most enlightening conversations took place in the home of a relative of the ABC fixer here, Habibullah (cookies, an unfortunate fruit cake, instant coffee black, no sugar). He introduced me to his aunt who laughed and smiled her way through a wrenching narrative about why she has no hope Pakistan will ever get anything right. Then she told me about her recent visit to the United States to watch her son graduate from Harvard. She liked Boston very much (duh), also loved Chicago and Las Vegas, but says she'll never return to the US because she was treated like a terrorist at each airport. She said it made her angry but she forced herself to smile and laugh it off, determined to enjoy her trip to America. Oh, the most popular movie in the country right now is called "In the Name of God." It's about two Pakistani brothers. One falls prey to extremists. The other makes it to America…where he's unlawfully detained because of his name. The director said (on the jacket of the soundtrack) the movie is typical of what a young Muslim faces…demonized by the radicals for western beliefs and appearance, demonized by the west because of their names. That's what I've got today. Hope you're good.

Thursday September 7, 2007--
I've just purchased shalwar kameez, the traditional dress here in Pakistan, my trip to Peshawar. The shalwar is the pair of loose-fitting pajama-like trousers and the kameez is the long tunic. I'm not sure how to operate the pants. I believe there should be a drawstring included in the purchase. There is no drawstring. I'm confused. My first time to Peshawar and I will be improperly dressed. My mother would be appalled. Peshawar is considered the gateway to the Khyber Pass that connects Pakistan's northern frontier to Afghanistan. It's the start of the tribal areas. It is home to the proud Pashtun people and the city where Osama Bin Laden once roamed. It's doubtful he's there now. In fact, we met a general today from the Pakistani army would indicated there really is no active operation to look for him. If there is some actionable intelligence, that's one thing. But six years after 9/11, at least on the Pakistani side of the border, Bin Laden remains elusive. September 6 is also National Defense Day here. It's a commemoration of a decisive battle in 1965 when the Pakistani army prevailed in Lahore over forces from India. The government has promised a robust celebration but the country's military today is in a precarious spot. At the urging of the US it's being ordered to rout militants in the tribal areas (the main city of which I'm heading in inappropriate attire) effectively being asked to kill its own people. And the Pakistani civilian population has had enough. The effort is one reason Musharraf finds himself on the brink of losing power. And there's evidence here the army itself has lost the will to fight. A few days ago 300 Pakistani soldiers were taken hostage by militants without a single shot being fired. The US understandably is concerned about this region. Just today German prosecutors said the 3 men arrested in the alleged plot against Ramstein Air Base were trained in Pakistan. But the civilians here, rightly or wrongly, believe politics, not violence, can contain the militants. Remember, the militants were trained to be the way they are by the CIA so they'd fight the Soviets back when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. The perception, again rightly or wrongly, is that a new foreign force, the Americans, has invaded Afghanistan, so why shouldn't they be fighting now as then. The US effort in Afghanistan is widely unpopular here and so is the US insistence the Pakistanis control their side of the border. The Musharraf government has also failed to deliver proper services to the tribal region. There is, effectively, no government operating there. Mullahs have filled the vacuum. My head spins daily from all of this. It's a good thing there's a ready supply of alcohol…oh, right. Nope. Hope all is well today.