Armitage denies threatening Pakistan after 9/11

[brooklynite]

WASHINGTON - Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage denied on Friday that he told a Pakistani official the U.S. would bomb Pakistan "back to the Stone Age" if it did not cooperate with Washington in the war on terror following the Sept. 11 attacks.

Armitage, in an interview with NBC News, said his remarks during the conversation were misrepresented. “I wouldn’t threaten the use of military force if I couldn’t come through with it,” he said.

Earlier Friday, with Musharraf standing at his side at the White House, President Bush said he was surprised by Musharraf's claim.

...snip...

Armitage told NBC the conversation was a “strong, factual” exchange, but said he made no military threats. He said he told Ahmad “Pakistan would need to be with us or against us. For Americans, this was seen as black or white.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14943975/

or, in the words of diplomacy, "a frank and cordial exhange of views..."

[BOSSHOG]

1. I did it but I deny it - that's good enough for the base

The right wing lunatic letters to the editor are being hunted and pecked out as we chat. Pakistan loves America, bush is god, liberals are evil.

[SpiralHawk]

2. Armitage actually said "bomb you back to the Bronze Age."

So let's set the record straight.

[Stand and Fight]

4. Steven Colbert, is that you? n/t

[AnneD]

5. Now....

that sounds more like what they would say.:sarcasm:

[daleo]

6. Excellent

That's exactly the kind of sleazy loophole he is undoubtedly using.

[Parche]

3. armitage

"I deny that Valerie Plame who is a secret CIA agent is going to bomb you back to the stone age"

[maddezmom]

7. more denials, 9/25

US diplomat denies threat to bomb Pakistan

Agencies
Monday September 25, 2006
Guardian Unlimited


Richard Armitage speaks at the security forum in Seoul. Photograph: Lee Jin-Man/AP

The US did not threaten to bomb Pakistan "back to the stone age", the man who allegedly made the remark said today.
The former US deputy secretary of state, Richard Armitage, said he thought it likely that his message had been misunderstood by the Pakistani president, Pervez Musharraf.

In an interview last week, Mr Musharraf claimed Mr Armitage had told a Pakistani intelligence official that the country would be bombed if it did not help Washington's campaign against al-Qaida and the Taliban following the September 11 attacks

more:http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1880543,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12

[Vinca]

8. It's really something that whenever a Bush administration

official says something you instinctively start from the premise that it's a lie. Armitage is the boy who cried wolf.

[struggle4progress]

9. “I wouldn’t threaten the use of military force if I couldn’t come through

with it” isn't exactly a clear denial ...

And Armitage does enjoy making threats: during the last election there, he managed to stir up a lot of speculation in Australia about the future of US-Aussie relations if the "wrong" candidate won ...