About four million Americans watched my report from Afghanistan on Monday. My main point was that U.S. forces are performing heroically, but the war against Al Qaeda and the Taliban will never be won until Pakistan stops allowing those terrorists sanctuary.
Well, today, Arthur Keller, former CIA case officer inside Pakistan, wrote the exact same thing in The New York Times. The U.S. taxpayer will provide an astounding $785 million to Pakistan next year if the new budget is passed. But unless the Pakistani government partners up with NATO to suppress the Taliban, that money should be withheld.
President Bush is rightly worried that Islamic fundamentalists might overthrow Musharraf and then control nuclear weaponry in Pakistan. That is a grave concern. But something must be done about the Taliban and Al Qaeda sanctuaries. It is not fair to ask the American military to put forth their lives and put their lives on the line when the enemy has a protected zone. There should be no protected zones in war. Either Musharaf cooperates or no money. Period.
Hampered by an apathetic world and crazy far left zealots here in the USA, the rules of engagement in fighting the War on Terror are far too stringent. We owe it to our troops to give them the tools to win.
Back home, we hope the USO and the celebrity community will stop dithering around and begin monthly visits to the troops. Some "Factor" viewers have pointed out more American celebrities have visited the tyrant Hugo Chavez in Venezuela this year than they have visited the troops in Afghanistan. How appalling is that? Where is the modern day Bob Hope? Where are the rich and famous in the War on Terror?
Let's get it in gear. This country should provide every comfort to our troops abroad, including high-profile visits from celebrities. We are working with the USO to correct this problem. And we'll let you know what happens. Again, this is unacceptable. Celebrities have a responsibility to their country as well. One way to honor that responsibility is to visit the troops.
Finally, it's the holiday season and most of us will be celebrating and having fun. But hundreds of thousands of our countrymen are suffering from wounds, fighting in hell holes and sacrificing greatly for our security. We all owe them something. No spin.
And that's "The Memo."
Pinheads and Patriots
Time now for "Pinheads and Patriots."Racy video alert. Some of you might not want to see what's coming up.
There have been a spate of news stories about how some U.S. military people are getting hosed when they come back from Iraq or Afghanistan. It's obviously wrong. All our military people should be respected.
The CEO of Sears, Aylwin Lewis, has gone out of his way to make things easier for the vets, making up lost pay for military employees called to duty and providing them with company benefits like life insurance and medical programs. For that Mr. Lewis is a patriot and we applaud Sears.
On the pinhead front, say hello to Heidi Klum:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEIDI KLUM, MODEL: Yoo-hoo! Yoo-hoo! You guys have no clue about boobs, yes. And if you don't — great knockers. I love it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Pinhead, but an attractive one.
— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads and Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com
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