Credibility . . . C-R-E-D-I-B-I-L-I-T-Y

We are spelling out "credibility" because somebody obviously needs some help on the basics and we here at the Zoo are all about helping.

Now, either Afghani President Hamid Kharzai is talking out of both sides of his mouth (see above), or the Associated Press is failing the most basic standards of journalism or the Voice of the America is spinning the facts. Since we haven't enough evidence to make a determination, why are we feeling faintly nauseous ? Here's the deal.

On June 23 the AP reports a fairly gloomy assessment of the Afghan situation by Karzai and his people. The report has Karzai and his sources identifying the country's problems as "a lack of reconstruction and jobs, a booming drug trade, and a weak government" that the new military offensive will not fix. Also noted are the lack of improvements outside Kabul, the resurgent opium economy, etc, etc.

Then on June 25, under the headline Karzai Says Taleban Does Not Pose Threat to Afghan Government, Voice of America gives us a confident Karzai who proclaims "a host of improvements in the past four years, including significantly higher foreign exchange reserves, more women in business, more Afghan children in schools and thousands of kilometers more paved road."

Which is it ? Who's on first ? We'll keep watching, you

Stay Naked
jd