This is a brief description of the topics covered in Rush's mp3 download today. This mp3 is a replay of Rush's past announcement of his Afghanistan visit. Since this is a holiday, Rush did not broadcast his show today. The time noted indicates where in the podcast (mp3 file) the topic begins.
Rush in Afghanistan
:10 - Rush announced a few months ago that he would be visiting Afghanistan. This is a replay of that announcement. Rush says he announced it when he did because news of the trip had been prematurely leaked. Rush says he'd tried for a couple of years to go on a troop visit overseas. The State Dept. told him a couple of months previously that he could visit Afghanistan. Rush met with a State Dept. agency to put together the itinerary. With his hearing problems he could not broadcast remotely from there, but he could call in via cell phones.
2:20 - Rush says he knew he didn't have a prayer to go on a USO trip since only liberal celebrities go on those trips. He expected to have 3 troop visits. He would meet with high government officials. Drudge had posted news of his trip and Reuters had published a snarky story about the trip. Rush paid for his own trip.
5:55 - Rush notes that there's no news coming out of Afghanistan, probably because most of the news is good. There was little news of the Afghan elections which were so successful.
7:19 - Rush reports from Afghanistan for the first time. Rush watched 16 episodes of 24 on the flight over. Rush just concluded 3 meetings with the troops. Rush describes the country as a hell hole. The big fear of the Afghani's that Rush met is that the US would leave. Rush says that in terms of infrastructure, he's never seen anything so devastated.
11:50 - The Afghan army is training men at twice the rate anticipated.
13:30 - Rush's accomodations include the internet and only 1 English TV station which is the BBC and is boring. He felt small compared to our troops. Rush told them who was saying what in opposition to our military. Opium production is the big problem in the country. Karzai is trying to shame the warlords into not producing it.
17:41 - Rush expects to see most of Afghanistan during his trip. The Afghanistan effort includes a lot of reconstruction work. Roads are being built-the Taliban hated road construction. The government agency that sent Rush on this trip was told by a MSM outlet that they're not interested in reporting on positive efforts and successes in Afghanistan.
30:30 - Rush was told that the main reason the Soviets lost in Afghanistan was that for the first time the Soviets became sensitive to a sensitive way of fighting a war. During the war with the Soviets, Dan Rather's 3rd report made the Soviet invaders sound like the good guys.
36:30 - Rush met with a group of women leading the literacy movement. Women there were emboldened because finally the government acknowledged that women have rights. Radio is the most popular media in Afghanistan.
49:36 - The troops are asking why Afghanistan is getting no media coverage in the US. In Rush's VIP quarters he is 50 yards from the facilities.
58:00 - Rush was on an aircraft that had mechanical problems right after liftoff. An engine was lost. They had to turn around and go back. Because of this Rush never made it to Bagram for the troop event there.
1:02:25 - Rush compares optimism/pessimism in reporting. He says that you can't possibly imagine what it's like in Afghanistan unless you see it.
1:12:30 - There are still skirmishes going on in Afghanistan. The people there are very tough.
1:17:24 - Rush's first broadcast after returning from Afghanistan. Rush will never again listen to people say how rotten the US economy is. The next time he hears about pollution in the US, he's just going to laugh.We are a pristine paradise compared to Afghanistan.
1:27:15 - It's obvious what Bin Laden's MO is, and that's to concentrate on countries that have no government. That's why he's concentrated on Somalia, Afghanistan and Sudan. Conservatives have faith in free people. The US stays in Afghanistan to establish friendly governments which is a security issue.
1:31:37 - Caller: She's the mother of a military officer who got to meet Rush last week.
1:38:35 - Rush pointed out the news story that said that battlefield fatality rates are low because lives are being saved that aren't worth living. Rush and his staff finally figured out that the MSM is hoping for more battlefield fatalities so the antiwar protests can grow. Rush told the troops that the MSM had a running count of US troop war dead till the number 1000 was reached.
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