Blazing Saddles in Pakistan

[FarCenter]

...

The Obama administration has painted itself in to a corner. It cannot cajole or threaten Pakistan. On the contrary, Pakistan is threatening Washington. China's growing presence in Pakistan reduces America's capacity to punish Pakistan, for example, by withdrawing support for American-built fighter aircraft. India remains understandably cautious. And the Afghan war, as Mr. Al-Tamimi wrote in the Middle East quarterly, ''will prove at best a massive drain on US resources and lives, possibly reaching a cost of up to $100 billion a year, all for killing a few dozen al-Qaeda militants in a country whose annual gross domestic product is a mere $13 billion.''

...

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/MK29Df03.html

[dtexdem]

1. The U.S. had better rush its withdrawal from Afghanistan -- while it still has a withdrawal corridor

It has clearly worn out its 'welcome' in Pakistan.

[FarCenter]

2. The rent on Manas air base is probably going up

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transit_Center_at_Manas

According to Bill Gertz, China had reportedly asked the government of Kyrgyzstan to close the base to US use in return for $3 billion in cash. According to Gertz, the Chinese ambassador to Kyrgyzstan subsequently denied to the US ambassador that the covert cash offer had been made.

Gertz, Bill, "Inside the Ring: China in Kyrgyzstan", Washington Times, 2 December 2010, p. 8.