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Spies, Warlords & Viagra
December 26, 2008 2:08 PM
ABC's Stu Schutzman from New York:
As you moan and groan about what to get Aunt Martha and Uncle George this Christmas season, consider the CIAs conundrum--What to give to an Afghan Warlord? It's a gnawing question for the CIA as it struggles to get the upper hand on the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan; how to get those powerful tribal Warlords on your side without causing a stir. You don't want them jingling down the street with bling or parading around in new sports cars. Too much of a dead giveaway of new-found wealth. You need to be more subtle, more nuanced. And so the agency has apparently been doing some thinking outside the box. "Whatever it takes to win friends and influence people," said one agency veteran to the Washington Post today. So what's a spy agency to do? Maybe there's a clue in Dale Carnegie's runaway 1936 bestseller "How To Win Friends And Influence People".
In Part one, Carnegie suggests you "arouse in the other person an eager want." In part four he advises you "make the other person happy about doing what you suggest". So what we have here is "arouse' something in the person whose support your seeking and make him "happy" Hmmmm! I think we're on to something and according to the Post that something is Viagra. "CIA Finds RX for Befriending an Aging Afghan With 4 Wives", reads the Post headline. Among other gifts according to the Post, the agency has been handing out Viagra to various influential Warlords. Makes sense. Much more subtle than a satchel full of cash or a new gold chain. And it jives perfectly with Carnegie's advice. So next time you see an Afghan Warlord and he's smiling, you can reasonably assume……he's on our side.
December 26, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (5)
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I read the main story elsewhere...the two points to me are that it's an effective barter, and NOW the enemy knows about it, and can use it as well.
Posted by: Laughing Cynic | Dec 26, 2008 7:11:02 PM
Bravo Americans for not buying. It is truly the power of the people to show that without spendable income the greedy will suffer. When a retailer can bring down prices 80%, imagine the profits you were previously giving and then compounded by the obscene profits to credit card companies. This shows the true power of the people
Posted by: Scott | Dec 26, 2008 10:01:13 PM
This war will never reach at an end.
They bribe them with viagara. They make more babies and when they grow up they start fighting. Where is the logic here???
Posted by: FM | Dec 27, 2008 4:11:44 AM
The fighting has been going on for about 500 years. The US is just the new kid on the block. Of course our war will never end, we're part and parcel of their "new" blood feuds. We're stuck.
Posted by: Laughing Cynic | Dec 27, 2008 8:51:24 AM
introduce these warlords to high fructose drinks and cakes and salty snacks - it's a gift that keeps on giving.
Posted by: there you go- | Dec 29, 2008 8:07:05 AM
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