COLUMBUS (TDB) -- The photo appeared on Pat Tiberi's official House Web site after the Ohio Republican met with Gen. Pervez Musharraf in September. The picture was snapped at the Pakistani strongman's office in Islamabad. This is what the cutline said:
"Meeting with Pakistan's President
Congressman Tiberi and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf greet each other before their September meeting. Members of Congress and the Pakistani President spoke about Pakistan's role in the War on Terrorism."
Tiberi travelled with a congressional delegation led by House Minority Leader John Boehner, a Republican who represents Ohio's 8th Congressional District.
The Daily Bellwether located the picture in a Google cache. It no longer seems to be available in the photo gallery on Tiberi's House site. Perhaps it was removed after Musharraf declared a state of emergency last weekend, dissolved the constitution and began rounding up political opponents. Maybe Tiberi now is embarrassed to have been caught on camera gripping and grinning with Musharraf. Maybe he wants to distance himself from the general whose imposition of emergency rule has left thousands jailed and Pakistan's chief justice under house arrest.
What sort of "objective" reporting is this? Guilt by association? What was Tiberi supposed to do? Bitchslap the guy in his own country?
ReplyDeleteDoes this mean we can pin everything that Bashir Assad does or will do on Speaker of State Pelosi???
Come on now...
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ReplyDeleteHi Matt --
ReplyDeleteI guess the moral is: If you lay down with dogs you wake up with fleas, or an authoritarian general shaking your hand. Pelosi has her problems being photoed visiting Assad, as you know. She's fair game for that. Kucinich also spent time in Syria recently, and I would love to get my hands on a picture of Dennis and Bashir. So would you . . .
By the way, at your blog Weapons of Mass Discussion, you have linked to a pretty interesting picture today. I'm surprised it is there, but think you guys acted properly because of the news value.
And where was Charlie Wilson? He was on this trip...is he now guilty by association too? Or is he excused because he has a "D" after his name?
ReplyDeleteAs for the picture story...I appreciate the way you've handled that...I'm sure the rest of the leftysphere will be just as mature.....or not... :)
Matt, there's no question that when you are presented with the hand of a head-of-state, you shake it. The question is, do you put a picture up on your own website to proclaim to the world "I Shook Hands With Musharraf!"
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