So tell me, is it better for U.S. interests for Mush to remain in control or to force his hand with bin Laden? It seems to me it's wiser to bide our time using whatever anti-terrorist assistance he can provide in the short term. Do we want to trigger the angry hornet's-nest of fundamentalist anti-Americanism that exists in Pakistan by violating their territory and arresting/killing their hero bin Laden?
I think Porter Goss has stated the problem accurately, calling it one of "diplomacy." I don't know what concessions Mush expects from all this but it's true that we exposed Khan and Mush protected him. I think he's protecting bin Laden as well, for fear of a terrible political backlash. I think the fundamentalist Pakis have us over a barrel for the moment unless we're willing to risk a nuclear war.
Well, I would disagree. I believe we missed an opportunity to deal with the Paki end of jihad.
The longer we wait, the harder it gets.
I don't think we trigger anything by resolute action; we took on the opprobrium of the world in going after Iraq.
But we're afraid of offending Pakistan, and their benefactors the Saudis?
On Pakistan, we'd have a lot of allies.
And what price pride and honor? The evidence linking 911 to Pak is greater than that to Iraq, so every day we don't get them looks bad for us, not to mention the incredible growth in stature that Osama has had because of our unwillingness/inability to get him so far.
Otherwise in a nutshell, we're spooked by the Paki fundies so we don't follow the trail of 911 vengeance where it leads.
And we allow him to hold sham elections. Who's fooled by that? NO ONE. So the American rhetoric about democracy rings hollow when our interests are at stake.
Anyway, the die is cast and we're on the path we're on. It's not a situation that generates optimism. It means not only a long presence in Afghanistan, but endless skirmishes along the border, with the jihadis using their sanctuaries with impunity.
Now, how you gonna defeat a jihadi enemy if he has safe sanctuaries to run to every time the US piles it on.