Washington Extra - Lying game
Wed, 15 Jun 2011 22:02 GMT
By Tabassum Zakaria
WASHINGTON, June 15 (Reuters) - Allies lie.
Those words of wisdom came from outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates at a congressional hearing.
"I would say based on 27 years in CIA and 4 1/2 years in this job -- most governments lie to each other. That's the way business gets done," Gates said. "And sometimes they send people to spy on us and they're our close allies."
Gates was responding to questions about how the United States can trust and support governments in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan where the relationship is laced with duplicity.
At the White House, spokesman Jay Carney was asked whether Pakistan was an ally. His response: "Pakistan is a partner of the United States."
Is that different from ally? "I think there are diplomatic nuances between these words," he said.
Sounds like a demotion from friend to business associate.
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