Some are critiquing Senator Bill Frist's comments that "people who call themselves Taliban" should be brought into the Afghan government.

If Frist actually made these comments, the rationale is exactly the same that many have argued about Hamas and Hezbollah. So, on some level, Frist articulating the need for "political" solutions to some of the more vexing standoffs in the region can be considered progress.

The problem, however, is that the Taliban are not Hamas or Hezbollah and that these latter two political entities have not become popular in their states by terrorizing their own people. Hamas and Hezbollah's legiitimacy has several prongs -- helping to enhance the quality of life of their constituents, delivering various public services, rallying against Israel and perceived grievances about occupied lands and displaced Muslims, and an Islamist religious ethic.

However, to my knowledge, neither Hamas nor Hezbollah have created a tyranny over their own people of the sort that the Taliban clearly did. Also, neither Hamas nor Hezbollah provided the incubation chamber and helped hatch bin Laden's brand of radical transnational terrorism directed at Western nations and ruling regimes in the Middle East. Some will counter that the Muslim Brotherhood is the link here and that the Brotherhood has indeed tried to destabilize the governments in Egypt, Jordan, and even Syria -- but their efforts have had none of the potency of what bin Laden allied with the Taliban created.

So, what is Bill Frist thinking?

Although I think that Senate Majority Leader Frist would be an awkward choice to reflect a new course in the Bush administration's thinking, there is the small chance that Bill Frist is sending signals to the Taliban that America wants to "deal."

Such a deal would no doubt involve coughing up bin Laden and his operations. The deal would also probably involve some assistance if America decides to attack Iran.

I have thought for a while that the dearth of options for diplomacy with Iran required an arena for confidence building in some area not directly between America and Iran, but on the side. One of these would be Iran coming back to help the Karzai government stabilize Afghanistan and to find a way to co-opt or neutralize recalcitrant Afghan tribal chiefs and to curb and roll back expanding Taliban influence. Such assistance from Iran would not only be in Iran's strategic interests -- but would be in ours as well and could provide some node of embryonic trust from which other negotiations might be possible.

However, if such an accomodation with Iran is not worth pursuing, then allying with strong parties in Afghanistan might make sense -- even if as disagreeable as the Taliban.

I don't endorse this strategy, if it is such. And I have my doubts that Bill Frist really wanted to offer an olive branch to the Taliban and its adherents.

It could be he just misspoke. But if he stands by his comments, Frist's words have big implications for Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas -- in different ways.

Stay tuned.

-- Steve Clemons

Update:

Senator Frist's office sent me this clarification of the Senate Majority Leader's comments. This sounds sensible to me:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: Amy Call and Carolyn Weyforth

October 2, 2006

FRIST COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR STATEMENT ON EFFORTS TO FIGHT TALIBAN IN AFGHANISTAN

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Amy Call, Communications Director for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D., (R-Tenn.), issued the following statement regarding the majority leader’s comments in Afghanistan as reported by the Associated Press:

“While touring Afghanistan, Senator Frist made the observation that Afghan tribesman should be brought into the government or risk losing them to the Taliban. Giving the native tribes often targeted by Taliban recruitment a voice in the government will promote peace and prosperity in the region. Senator Frist does not believe Taliban fighters – often foreign fighters who come to Afghanistan to further conflict – should be brought into the reconciliation process.

“In order to undermine the influence of the Taliban in Afghan society, Senator Frist believes there needs to be a multi-pronged approach to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. Military efforts must continue in earnest to capture and kill the leadership of the Taliban and al-Qa’ida, who continue to pose a
grave threat to Afghanistan and the world.

“The long-term peace and security of Afghanistan depends upon the ability of the government, lead by President Karzai, to establish a political order in which the radical totalitarian ideology of the Taliban is rejected in favor of liberty, democracy, and the rule of law.”

Senator Frist and Senator Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) spent the day in Kabul and Qalat, Afghanistan, where they had the opportunity to meet with President Hamid Karzai, visit a local hospital, greet American troops and receive briefings from military personnel.

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