On Air Base, Kyrgyz Government is Like That Katy Perry Song

When last we left the Manas air base drama, the Kyrgyz parliament had voted to deny the United States access to the big logistic air hub for the Afghanistan war, and the Pentagon was blubbering about it. But now it’s a mess of tiresome intrigue and false positives. Like, seriously:

Mr. Bakiyev said in an interview with the BBC this week that “the doors are not closed” to talks with the U.S. about the base. He declined to discuss what kind of talks he was prepared for and said none were under way.

Later, a presidential spokesman denied that Mr. Bakiyev’s comments meant he was backing off on his decision to close the base. “The decision on the base is final,” said the spokesman, Almaz Turdumamatov. By August, “every last American soldier will have left the territory of Kyrgyzstan,” he said.

You know the song I mean.