| This sure as hell made the surprise meter twitch ... |
Mr. McDermott, elected to represent the 7th district of Washington State for the 12th term, has suggested to President-elect Barack Obama that he make India his first international stop. The Congressman visualised that geopolitical events will make relationship between the two democracies “more intense” and make it imperative for Washington to have an excellent working relationship with New Delhi.
Having made the recommendation to Mr. Obama’s transition team before the Mumbai terror attacks, Mr. McDermott told The Hindu that while events in Mumbai have drawn the issues of Afghanistan and Kashmir “closer and closer to each other so that it is impossible to solve one without convening all the players at the table, I do not know at this time if a special envoy makes sense. The activities of the ISI are of mutual concern to our countries.”
As the co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, Mr. McDermott is of the view that now with a stronger Democratic Congress and a Democrat in the White House, the new President and the U.S. Congress will re-establish America’s leadership role in global affairs, emphasising diplomatic engagement while respecting the sovereignty of nations. “This will rebuild trust in us as a partner and can lead to finding common ground and commitment to work together on difficult issues,” he said, in response to a question as to what both the Congress and White House would do to strengthening Pakistan’s civilian government to rein in its army, the ISI and “non-State elements.”
Asked whether the next Congress would have greater oversight over Pakistan in tackling terror on its soil and prevent its spread, Mr. McDermott said it was necessary to take a comprehensive view on what was going on instead of a fragmented, disconnected response. Earlier this month, Mr. McDermott piloted a resolution on December 11 (HR 1532) in the House of Representatives condemning the Mumbai terror attacks.
| And then back to reality ... |