Obama Afghan Cultural Adviser Tells General McChrystal She Doesn’t See Any Taliban-Al Qaeda Connections Through Burka

During a meeting on Air Force One, President Obama’s cultural adviser on the war in Afghanistan assured a skeptical General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of U.S. forces there, that she could see no connection between the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, paving the way for the president’s acceptance of some Taliban involvement in Afghanistan's political future.

“But then again,” she said, “I can’t see much of anything through this burka.”

Associated articles: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_US_AFGHANISTAN?SITE=NMALJ&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT; http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2009/10/analysis_al_qaeda_is.php; http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/16/world/asia/16pstan.html?_r=2&th&emc=th