Posted on 12/27/2007 11:14:53 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
HARRIS FAULKNER : Senator, your reaction, first, to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
FRED THOMPSON : It is a tragedy, of course. It reminds us that things can happen in faraway places of the world that can affect the United States. I think this should be of great concern to us. It is almost a perfect storm in a very bad sense because two forces are operating against each other that are both desirable. One is democracy: they were making progress in that regard in that country. Former prime minister Bhutto was an important part of that process. But the other is stability. Pakistan is a nuclear country, and we cannot afford to let nukes fall into the hands of dangerous Muslim radicals. We are hoping those two things can be balanced out. We can see the continued progress toward a democratic society but also maintain stability in the country, which seems to be very much in doubt right now.
FAULKNER: I know you are running for the White House, so I don't want to put you in a position to second guess the president. But I'm interested in your opinion. President Bush is due to talk with Pervez Musharraf shortly. What do you anticipate that conversation should be like?
THOMPSON: Those two things that I mention probably would be high on the agenda. What could be done to not impose martial law, to not crack down, but be mindful of the fact that there are radical elements in that country, and perhaps even within the government, that would like to see instability and chaos and see those weapons fall into the wrong hands. This is part of a bigger problem. We need to understand that this is not a criminal investigation any more - so we find the bad guys and bring them to justice - it's a war.
This proves again the mindset of the radical elements that we are dealing with. We are seeing this all across Northern Africa and various places. We're seeing it across the Middle East and in parts of Asia including Indonesia and other places. We have to come to terms with that and do the things necessary to prevail. One of the things we need to be talking about is what Musharraf can do, additionally, to crack down on the Taliban. I think they have been insufficient in that respect.
FAULKNER : Taliban also supporters of al Qaeda in that country. Pakistan has been an important ally in the war on terror, so have do you walk that line?
THOMPSON: You just walk it. No one said it has been easy and simple. Pakistan has never been easy or simple. I had a chance a few years ago to talk to Musharraf before things got quite as complex as they are now. But it has always been an important part of the world. They're next door to India. They've had a crisis after crisis with regard to them. They're next door to Afghanistan, and they're important to us. They've been helpful to us. But we' re going to have to walk that line between democracy on the one hand and stability on the other. But I think it's possible.
Same thing, isn’t it?
When Obama said we should bomb Pakistan, Hillary Clinton and Chris Dodd jumped all over him for offending Pakistan’s delicate sensibilities. It sounds like you support the Clinton/Dodd approach to our enemies.
Right, so publicly we have to walk a line. But under the radar we surely have SOF teams dedicated to tracking and killing OBL.
The video is up here:
http://fredthompsonnews.blogspot.com/2007/12/fred-thompson-talks-to-fox-news-about.html
It’s all black OR white with the HUCKSTER.....he would be a disaster.
More Freepers need to see this thread.
“Mike Huckabee strode out to the strains of “Right Now” by Van Halen and immediately addressed the Bhutto situation, expressing “our sincere concern and apologies for what has happened in Pakistan.” “
Weird.
I think you misread his statement. He said “bring them to justice” in the context of the “law enforcement issue”. That’s exactly what he spoke out against.
I oppose destabilizing Pakistan, giving radical Islamists an opportunity to gain control of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.
ROFL!
If Huck want to go into the mountainous wilds of Pakistan to find the bearded one, let him lead the way.
Leni
Proof that Huckabee is a foreign policy idiot. The only hawks that want to invade Pakistan are the chicken-hawk democrats that would rather win an election than the war on terror. Mike Huckabee must be getting his talking points from the Clintons.
To Bomb or NOT to Bomb?
Okay, I'll bite. What DID Huckster-bee actually say about the Bhutto assassination? I'm betting it's more like "assination", since Huckster-bee probably used the first three letters for his own self.
“What is he apologizing for ? or about ?”
His daddy meeting his mama, hopefully.
According to whom? The only just punish for the kind of evil inherit in terror is death. The context of Thompson's remarks shows that he understand this. Apparently those who support the weaker candidates think that we have to be unjust to kill terrorists.
If it were unjust, I couldn't suppor the WOT. But since it is I want a man like Thompson to lead us the next eight years.
Just when you think you've seen the dumbest politican out there, another one comes along to dumb things down further... *sigh*. It's a race (downward) to Cynthia McKinney territory.
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