It was bothering me...because I just knew I had read somewhere that it was Arroyo that did not want US intervention.
I remembered reading it in the Weekly Standard earlier in the year. I found the article and I must admit that time has clouded my memories.
Here is a link to the article. I think that maybe the last paragraph stuck more in my mind than anything else. Also, the implication that Arroyo COULD have done more had she chosen to risk herself politically:
Weekly Standard Article The Philppine Front
Again, thank-you for publicizing this travesty and setting the story straight.
"But this is all the more reason to send in U.S. Special Forces, whose expertise would complement Philippine efforts. There are currently more than 5,000 Filipino soldiers on Basilan, and the Abu Sayyaf are bottled up in a mere three-by-three-kilometer area. Astonishingly, there are believed to be only around 18 members of Abu Sayyaf left. But the Philippine Marines are being pulled back and replaced by Philippine Army regulars. And the Light Reaction Company trained by U.S. specialists has yet to be called to duty. More frustrating, at least one Filipino soldier has had visual confirmation of the Burnhams' whereabouts. In other words, there are about 278 Filipino soldiers for every terrorist, and the potential field of operations is extremely small. Yet, the Burnhams languish and America must wait."
From the above-mentioned article. This is really from where my "attitude" stems.