Laura Bush's Afghan Visit Touts Progress

As President Says "Afghanistan Is Broke," First Lady Focuses On Hopeful Signs

(CBS/ AP)  First lady Laura Bush, on a mission to highlight signs of rebirth in war-weary Afghanistan, ventured outside of Kabul on Sunday to an area that symbolizes both the destruction of war and Afghanistan's attempt at rebirth.

Bush, on her third unannounced visit to the country, flew into the Afghan capital then immediately boarded a helicopter for a 50-minute flight to Bamiyan province, the farthest she has traveled from Kabul.

Her chopper touched down in a dusty field at a provincial reconstruction team compound operated by New Zealand. From there she could see the empty niches in a cliffside where two giant Buddha statues once stood.

They were carved into the sandstone cliffs more than 2,000 years ago, but were demolished by the Taliban, which considered them idolatrous and anti-Muslim, in March 2001. Destruction of the historical and cultural treasures prompted an outcry from the international community.

The first lady's visit comes ahead of a donors conference in Paris, where the U.S. hopes billions of dollars in international aid will be pledged to help the embattled nation. Afghanistan was ruled by the repressive Taliban until U.S. forces invaded following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"The people of Afghanistan don't want to go back and live like that," Bush told reporters on her plane as it made the nearly 14-hour flight to the Afghan capital. "They know what it was like. The international community can't drop Afghanistan now, at this very crucial time."

President George W. Bush, in an interview in Washington on Friday with RAI TV of Italy, said bluntly, "Afghanistan is broke."

Afghanistan is seeing a resurgence of violence and a spiraling heroin trade. Last year, more than 8,000 people were killed in insurgency-related attacks - the most since the 2001 invasion - and violence has claimed more than 1,500 lives this year.

Bush spent several hours on the ground to meet with President Hamid Karzai, visit U.S. troops and see a police training academy that is training female recruits.

President Bush has defended Karzai against critics who say his government is weak and isn't doing enough to battle corruption and drug trafficking. Laura Bush said the U.S. and other nations should not blame Karzai unless they are going to give him credit for all the progress that's being made.

"It's really not that fair," she said. "I think it's undermining, frankly, to blame him for a lot of the things that may or may not be his fault. He inherited - just by becoming president - a country that's been totally devastated. It is very, very difficult when you have al Qaeda and Taliban all over the borders and making incursions into Afghanistan, and it's intimidating for everyone."

The first lady's trip is more sharply focused on hopeful signs of progress.

She met with female trainees at Afghanistan's National Police Bamiyan Regional Training Center. She celebrated the construction of a paved road that is linking up the Bamiyan airport with its bazaar and town center and went to a learning center under construction that will double as an orphanage.

Several dozen future students, all school-age children in traditional white scarfs, sang to the first lady at the center, a project of the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council. The council was set up to help women gain the skills and education deprived them under years of the Taliban.

"Of course we want more girls in school and I think that's really key to the success of Afghanistan," Bush said. "There's a huge increase in the number of kids in school. There are almost 6 million kids in school now compared to 2001 when there were maybe a million, but no girls."

Mrs. Bush is addressing the donors conference Thursday in Paris. France, the host of the gathering, has set a goal of raising US$12 billion to US$15 billion to fund Afghan reconstruction projects through 2014. The United States is looking to contribute about a quarter of that.

International donors have pledged about $32.7 billion in reconstruction funds for Afghanistan since 2001, of which $21 billion has come from the United States.

"A group of Afghan women who visited me most recently at the White House said: 'You know, we're really afraid. We think it is our chance right now, and if we don't get this chance - if Afghanistan backslides back into the Taliban - then we'll never get it,'" Bush said.

Bush was spending about nine hours in Afghanistan before flying to Slovenia, where she'll meet up with President Bush on Monday for his final U.S.-European Union summit.


Afghan Insurgents Attack Convoy, Kill 11 Police

Insurgents attacked a police convoy in central Afghanistan on Sunday, killing 11 police and wounding one, an official said.

Around the same time, a clash in the same region left one Taliban insurgent dead and wounded two others, police said.

The convoy attack occurred in the Qarabagh district of Ghazni province, said the province's deputy governor, Kazim Allayar. He said at least three police vehicles were destroyed.

No information was immediately available on whether any insurgents were killed.

The clash between the police and insurgents occurred in the Mullah No area of the province.

Dowlat Khan, a local police commander, confirmed the casualties.

Militant fighters the last two years have stepped up attacks on Afghanistan's fledgling police, who have little training and weaponry. Last year more than 900 police were killed in militant attacks.

Also Sunday, a bomb exploded about 150 yards from a U.N. office in eastern Afghanistan, wounding two people, officials said.

Gen. Mohammad Ayub, the provincial police chief of Khost province, said a man carrying the explosives intended to put them under a bridge but they detonated early. The attacker survived but was in serious condition in the hospital. A woman passing by was wounded.

Aleem Siddique, a spokesman for the U.N. mission in Afghanistan, said it was too early to conclude that the U.N. building in Khost city was deliberately targeted.


Canadian Soldier Dies After Falling Into Afghan Well On Night Patrol

A Canadian soldier, who encouraged his comrades to treat all Afghans with tolerance and respect, died Saturday after falling into an open well during a night-time patrol west of Kandahar.

Capt. Jonathan Sutherland Snyder was a member of 1st Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, based in Edmonton.

He was on his second tour of Afghanistan and his third overseas deployment.

"Jon was serving as a mentor and role model to members of the Afghan National Army, and his recent leadership in the field likely saved both Canadian and Afghan lives," Brig,-Gen. Denis Thompson, the commander of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, said in a prepared statement at nearby Kandahar Airfield.

"We will not forget his sacrifice as we continue our mission to bring peace and stability to the citizens of Afghanistan."

Snyder, who was helping mentor Afghan soldiers, was on foot patrol in a field in Zhari district when he tumbled into an open well that the Afghans call a "kariz."

Those kinds of wells dot the countryside. They are often unmarked and connect to a maze of underground irrigation ditches used to soothe the parched landscape in river valleys.

Thompson estimates the well Snyder was trapped in may have been as much as 20 meters deep.

The rest of his patrol tried desperately to extract him and they radioed for help.

"Medical, engineering and search and rescue assets were rushed to the scene, and Jon was lifted from the well," said Thompson, who spoke with members of Snyder's platoon on Sunday.

Once out of the well, Snyder was rushed to the NATO military hospital at Kandahar Airfield where he was pronounced dead.

Snyder was not married, but leaves behind a fiancee and his parents.

[wfbdem]

I still say she looks like a seventeen year old boy first attempt at being a transvestite. Maybe that''s why Karl "Miss Piggy" Rove loved her.

[rwassel]

bhoogren -

Easy with the repeated words, Rain Man. You still didn''t make a single bit of sense in your post. The FACT is, George Bush made a speech on the "victory" in Iraq, and behind him, hung a banner that said "Mission Accomplished". You following me so far?

Now, being in the most powerful position in the free world, George has some weight to throw around. He could have very easily asked someone to take it down if he didn''t want it up. Well, he didn''t say anything, and now he will look like a jack-azz in the annals of history, much like you already have on this discussion board.

And still no explanation as to why it took the White House FIVE years to change their story? Still waitin'' on that one, professor.

[killtheliars]

if she supports her husband''s policies, they should have handed her a gun and told her to get out there and fight. As a matter of fact this is what we should do with all neo-cons moving forward, regardless of their ***. You want wars, go right ahead, only this time if you want a fight you will actually have to do the fighting yourselves.

[trishab4]

CBS: The first lady''s visit comes ahead of a donors conference in Paris, where the U.S. hopes billions of dollars in international aid will be pledged to help the embattled nation. Afghanistan was ruled by the repressive Taliban until U.S. forces invaded following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"Since then Afghanistan is broke!" said bluntly President George W. Bush, in an interview in Washington on Friday with RAI TV of Italy,

-Afghanis have started the poppy culture yielding tons of the black poppy seeds, once dried, an important ingredient into Jewish traditional bagels and other minorities'' pastries. Real crispy, munchies.

-The Bush Family is involved into import and distribution of such products from Afghanis. Mrs Laura Bush stopped by a drying dacility to oversee and fine tune a new methode of puppy seed drying process. She flew back home eagerly waiting for the first crop shipment to get in! Rabbi Yoseph Lie-Berman is invited home to bless the first Bagel batch to be cooked with the new Craop!

[ramos937]

President George W. Bush, in an interview in Washington on Friday with RAI TV of Italy, said bluntly, "Afghanistan is broke."
----------------------------------------
Laura Bush is a good and classy woman and does not deserve this. In effect, President Bush undermined her efforts and badly damaged her credibility.

At a time when gas is so expensive, the WH has to set an example and curtail these trips. Coming so late, they are not really useful. The WH should focus on staying home and keeping things as much together as possible for the new President.

[omded]

Oh, there''s been progress alright. G.W.''s Family Diner has sold tons of Bush Burgers and Freedom Fries! Without all those dead U.S. Soldiers, where would G.W. have gotten all that human meat to put in the Bush Burgers? G.W., Laura and friends have made millions, probably even billions off of that little family diner. And it wouldn''t have been possible without the bungled campaign in Afganistan, and the unnecessary war in Iraq.

[crapdetector]

Mrs. Bush is a vacuous plastic faced Stepfor Wife. She is so medicated, its a miracle she can think. Since she run over and killed a person in her youth, she has become callous to anything that happens around her ....such as warcrimes at the hand of her husband...etc.

[samrensho]

That stupid $itch wouldn''t know progress if it grabbed her between the legs. Mission Accomplished Laura baby.

[hamiltongrad]

One thing is certain, she is a brave woman. ( she does not have to make up any stories about sniper fire )

and two, we have been fortunate to have a great President for the last 8 years, G-d bless them both !

[watcher269-2009]

Leave Laura alone - she''s going to meet Bin Laden to give him his share of the oil profits and plan who knows what against America - seems strange that now that the Republicans need Bin Laden again they are sending someone to meet with him that knows him well.

I think she likes his beard.

[jerr11]

After the photo shoot, this first Cougar (LOL) will bring home this piece of meat.

"Romp in Kabul!"

Nice title for a story about a warmongering wife, living off her hubby''s spoils of war, and going into battlefield to ogle his men!

Hey LAURA, how does it feel living off BLOOD MONEY?

[tawpdawg11]

Ahhhh Yessss....springtime in BoraBora. I understand the poppies are in all their splendor about now.

[tawpdawg11]

President George W. Bush, in an interview in Washington on Friday with RAI TV of Italy, said bluntly, "Afghanistan is broke."


I bet they ain''t nowheres near as broke as we are. Any takers???

Didn''t Clinton hand off a a hummin economy, budget surpluses, no debt?

This prez can''t run a ball club, or a state or a country or my kidz lemonade stand.

And we knew goin into the elections he was a doof.

He woulda flunked outta college if it wasnt for his granpappy.


We got just what we deserved.

The London Times Headline was spot on: "How Can 50 Million Americans Be So Dumb?"

I''ll tell ya how....from listenin to Landslide Limbaugh, Sean Handjob, The Blond Bombats etc all day every day.

We are hopelessly skrewed.

[kansas1946]

Yes, great progress. I notice there was a sucicide bomber today that killed some British soldiers. Wonderful progress. Bush dropped the ball on Afghanistan and ran off to Iraq where there weren''t any terrorists. No one is paying any attention to the little first lady.

[jerr11]

After 8 years, she''''s going to go out and do something? Now?

Posted by stevex47 at 08:10 PM : Jun 08, 2008



She can revive that Best Little ********** in Texas and put Wh*ore # 1 Jenna in charge.

[jerr11]

Do not vote for MaCain or you will get more of the same.

Posted by antoniof123 at 08:44 PM : Jun 08, 2008



Actually not more of the same, worse!

If you think it''s bad enough now, wait till you get four years of McCain:

Gas at $12 a gallon.

10,000 Dead Americans in Iraq.

$6 trillion wasted in Iraq.

As Reagan said, you ain''t seen nothin'' yet!

[dronemonk]

Ahhh, that fleeting "progress".

For all the "progress" we''ve been told about during Bush''s inept reign, you''d think we''d actually have something to show for it. Instead, I just smell stale and unconvincing propaganda.

[ioweign]

Laura Bushit, this is bushit, please don''''t promise them any money...We need the taxpayer''''s money to stay in this country now....We should attack saudi arabia and lower the gas prices ourselfs..can''''t do---Pres. Bushit is in with the oil people.....Come back home, you look like an idiot over their!!!!!

Posted by wp4088 at 09:05 PM : Jun 08, 2008

Georgie sent her over to learn how to belly dance but as you see in the above picture something got lost in the translation and Laura got a table dance...

[sgtrds-e4]

I think Condi managed to walk up the chain of command without ever getting off from her back. Posted by SgtRDS-E4

Affirmative Action?

Posted by haoli25 at 07:52 PM : Jun 08, 2008

GOP style.

[rudy654-2009]

what have you done besides whine like a baby?


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Posted by jamesm12341 at 08:43 PM

Much like you do?