’)Obama, 8/1/07
As President, I would make the hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military aid to Pakistan conditional, and I would make our conditions clear: Pakistan must make substantial progress in closing down the training camps, evicting foreign fighters, and preventing the Taliban from using Pakistan as a staging area for attacks in Afghanistan.
I understand that President Musharraf has his own challenges. But let me make this clear. There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al Qaeda leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won’t act, we will.
Bush, 2/10/08
Appearing today on Fox News Sunday, President Bush laid into Sen. Barack Obama, claiming he would “attack Pakistan” and “embrace” Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
“I certainly don’t know what he believes in,” Bush said when asked if there had been a “rush to judgment” about Obama. “The only foreign policy thing I remember he said was he’s going to attack Pakistan and embrace Ahmadinejad.”
Bush, 9/11/08
President Bush secretly approved orders in July that for the first time allow American Special Operations forces to carry out ground assaults inside Pakistan without the prior approval of the Pakistani government, according to senior American officials.
The classified orders signal a watershed for the Bush administration after nearly seven years of trying to work with Pakistan to combat the Taliban and Al Qaeda, and after months of high-level stalemate about how to challenge the militants’ increasingly secure base in Pakistan’s tribal areas.
American officials say that they will notify Pakistan when they conduct limited ground attacks like the Special Operations raid last Wednesday in a Pakistani village near the Afghanistan border, but that they will not ask for its permission.
it’s almost funny. is bush trying to undermine obama or mccain here? let’s not forgot the bushies recent conversion to the acceptance of a timeline for troop withdrawal in iraq as well. yeesh.
You guys don’t read very far past the headline, do you?
In other words, they gave us permission on a carte blanche basis so we wouldn’t have to get operational approval every time to avoid any details slipping out. THEY GAVE US PERMISSION.
That is the exact opposite of Obama’s policy.
Oh, and thanks New York Times for giving Osama the heads up. On 9/11, no less. Stay classy, Pinch…
Oh, and thanks New York Times for giving Osama the heads up.
Well at least Farris admits that it would be a surprise to say we’re actually looking for him.
That’s naive and irresponsible of the Bush Administration, which I’ve always hated as much as I’ve always hated The Media, by the way.
Now I have a plan to find Bin Laden and win the wars because I do. But I’m not going to tell you the secret unless and until I’m President. Because with me it’s always Country First.
Oh, and thanks New York Times for giving Osama the heads up.
OK, you’ve covered your ass. Now watch this drive.
Hopefully he’ll embrace science soon
I’m not sure why you needed to quote an additional paragraph to project your own information into a passage which doesn’t back up your assertion at all.
“Privately assenting to a general concept” is not carte blanche permission for all attacks.
Further, the orders are that the missions would be carried out without seeking permission. This doesn’t mean that permission is already implied, it means that Pakistan’s approval in the matter is irrelevant.
Go ahead and quote the whole article – Bush is still apparently following Obama’s lead. Once McCain is done musing about the Iraq/Pakistan border maybe he can give this one a shot
“That is the exact opposite of Obama’s policy.”
Are they reviving Short Attention Span Theater? Obama has repeatedly stated that he would first encourage greater cooperation with Pakistan. However, if that cooperation is not forthcoming, he would reserve the right to undertake the measures that Bush has just approved. Obama never said he would leave Pakistan out of this.
BTW, how is Senator Gigolo supposed to campaign with Palin not at his side? He got booed pretty well in Philly while Palin back in Alaska getting programmed for her “interview” with ABC. So he owes his political career to his wife’s money and has improved chances at the White House to another woman. Yeah, that says “maverick”.
Come on, you J’s. Where is the outrage about invading a sovereign nation? Don’t leave us hanging like this.
while Palin back in Alaska getting programmed for her “interview” with ABC.
To be fair, there’s a lot of code.
Great post. I linked to it.
Are They Experienced?
I’d pay good money to watch those two play poker.
“I’d pay good money to watch those two play poker.”
He’d have to first get permission from Cindy – she is not one to fool around with her money.
SF defending his opinion:
“A second senior American official said that the Pakistani government had privately assented…”
aka:
“An unknown person working for Bush said that one un-named person that supposedly works in the Pakistani government was told that…”
Wingnut logic at its finest!