Hearts, minds, and...uh, other body parts
"Little Blue Pills Among the Ways CIA Wins Friends in Afghanistan"
Hmm...the Horizontal Mambo vs Waterboarding....
From the Washington Post: "The Afghan chieftain looked older than his 60-odd years, and his bearded face bore the creases of a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women. His visitor, a CIA officer, saw an opportunity, and reached into his bag for a small gift.
Four blue pills. Viagra.
"Take one of these. You'll love it," the officer said. Compliments of Uncle Sam.
The enticement worked. The officer, who described the encounter, returned four days later to an enthusiastic reception. The grinning chief offered up a bonanza of information about Taliban movements and supply routes -- followed by a request for more pills.
[..]
"He came up to us beaming," the official said. "He said, 'You are a great man.' "
"And after that we could do whatever we wanted in his area."
(By Joby Warrick Washington Post Staff Writer)
This cries out for a joke about thinking outside-the-box....
It isn't the first time the CIA has been 'creative' when it comes to incentives...but bribing with Viagra is a new one. Looks like the older warlords and chieftains won't be satisfied with bribes of tools, school equipment, and surgical assistance any longer.
The CIA used to hand out plain ol' cash...but had to stop because Afghan leaders with US dollars are singled out as cooperating with the unpopular Americans.
One American said the key is to "find a way to meet the informant's personal needs in a way that keeps him firmly on your side but leaves little or no visible trace." Obviously Viagra does the trick.
But what about the young wives? Don't those poor young women and girls have enough to put up with? They were probably glad that the old goat was too tired to be interested.
