US Steps Up Unilateral Missile Strikes In Pakistan

Washington Post:

The United States has escalated its unilateral strikes against al-Qaeda members and fighters operating in Pakistan's tribal areas, partly because of anxieties that the country's new leaders will insist on a scaling back of military operations in that country, according to U.S. officials.

Washington is worried that pro-Western President Pervez Musharraf, who has generally supported the U.S. strikes, will almost certainly have reduced powers in the months ahead, and so it wants to inflict as much damage as it can to al-Qaeda's network now, the officials said.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

So much for ragging on Obama for suggesting same.

[Paul]

So we are actually striking Al Qaida where they are?

Seems to make too much sense. Why not pull out of Iraq and then really go after Al Q?

[oogabooga]

Isn't that what Obama suggested a year ago and the right-wing echo machine went postal over it? Now the NeoCons are actually doing it? Uh-oh, does that make Obama a NeoCon?

[Richard729]

According to news sources this is at least the third strike either by predator drone aircraft or U. S. Special Forces teams inside Pakistan's borders.

Aren't these the same sorts of air strikes that Barack Obama mentioned he would conduct if there was credible and reliable information that al Qaeda leaders were gathering inside Pakistan? McCain and the Republicans have been criticizing and distorting Obama's response, claiming that he wanted to "bomb one of our allies, Pakistan."

Now, that is exactly what the CIA and U.S. military are doing today. Added to the explosive situation which Bush and his Republican thralls have created is the hard reality that Pakistan's new leaders like Asif Zardari whose party won the most seats in the Feb. 18 election ousted Bush's dictator-in-arms, Pervez Musharraf. They will not, like Musharraf, do Bush's bidding.

So, now thanks to Bush, we have a nuclear armed state in Pakistan whose new leaders see the West as hostile to them. Bush's typical response is to "get even" with the Pakistani people for having the audacity to turn out his favorite lap dog (replacing Tony Blair) and puppet, Pervez Musharraf.
In November, American voters will have the chance to reject a Bush third term which John McCain wants to extend for another four years and a war in Iraq that he wishes to extend through the end of this century.

[MajorKong]

So what's Pakistan going to do? Nuke us? Oh wait......

[iPolitics]

Obama was correct. Hillary and McCain not so much

[bobo209]

It is clear military strength is a defeated weapon when used in aggression and invasion. United States still has the economic formula that is the best marketing tool for promoting respect and good image, provided it releases itself from the big corporate mafia run by remnants of Adolph Hitler, better known Neocons and Zionists. The U.S. economy is technically the spine of world economies. It is a myth U.S. interest is threatened anywhere. A nation that has economic strength does not need offensive army, nukes or supersonic rocket launchers.

[tumblewind]

I am so tired of neocon trigger happy cowboys who think they have a duty to police every nation and make them bend to their will! After how many years of allowing bin Laden to roam free unhampered? Of ignoring his existence to go after Saddam Hussein who did nothing to us. They are now targeting Pakistan????? Brilliant guys! Another fine glowing example of Bush's reasoning abilities to be on top of the situation! All we need is another f.....up necon mind like his in office.

[chinaskee]

But when Obama said he would do the same thing if he were elected you were all for it, right ?

[m4rk0]

But wait. Pakistan is our ally. We can't attack Pakistan.

[LorettaSingbiel]

The campaign is not specifically designed to capture bin Laden before Bush leaves office.

BUSH'S "GLOBAL" War On Terrorism in IRAQ was NEVER "designed to capture Bin Laden".

U.S. intelligence officials estimate that al-Qaeda has several hundred operatives in the Waziristan tribal region. "But as we learned on 9/11, it only takes 19".

19 who came from SAUDI ARABIA ... not that it matters. In the early days of our "REVENGE" war, BUSH had Bin Laden in his sights, but decided to give him SAFE PASSAGE to PAKISTAN. WHY? Because "The Decider" had GREATER sights on IRAQ!!! ... OIL, that is! ... Texas Tea! ... Black Gold!

OBAMA '08!
HOPE & CHANGE!

Stay safe, healthy and happy,
Love, Loretta

[speakingtruth2power]

It sure seems BushCo's goals are aimed at perpetuating their GWOT, not winning it.

The neocons studied the failures in Vietnam and have pursued this war differently.

Embedded press, show no coffins, fewer troops, far more privatization, and many

other 'improvements', have allowed our MIC far more opportunities for profiteering.

Just like his dad's War on Drugs, W and his handlers have worked both sides of

the war, creating huge profits for them and huge debt for US. Nice job BushCo!!!

ST2P

[VictorLudorum]

The New PriomeMinister is my ol time pal and i havnt even congradulated Yusaf Reza yet..yusaf Reza Gillani his full name belongs to a well textured family that divided after Barakzai's took Kabul but its roots in Iraq afganistan and Pakistan are pretty solid... Initially there coulds be power clash between Musharaff and Asif ali Zardari The Party Boss who could have better contacts in NWFP rather now with Afsandyar Wali on his side Musharaff knows nobody except some Khyber Mallik from Zia/Carter regime ...........Musharaff has his American collector Shaukat Aziz in London to make clean pesos from guns officially run bu USA to Africa parrellel to Gaddafi whose contactsa are Italian /Frencxh from 1973 Constitution.....

[bobo209]

Do not forget paks have nukes..they will be aiming at israel soon to cut the us life line.The empire on its last legs people.

[InDaZone]

Funny how Obama was highly criticized by Democrats, Republicans, and the Bush administration for suggesting that he would do the same thing.

[dotmafia]

The United States officially engages in self-exemption from international laws, high-lighted by their unilateral bombing of targets within Pakistan. No other country in the world engages in this kind of frequent and large amount of military activity so far from its own shores. The United States is starting to be considered a "rogue state".

John Bolton once stated, "The accumulating force of international law interferes with Washington's freedom to act as it chooses and will even more dramatically impede us in the future." Noam Chomsky stated in "Failed States", "international law and treaties are "private contractual rules" that the more powerful party "is free to apply or disregard as it sees fit": sternly enforced to ensure a safer world for investors, but quaint and obsolete when they constrain Washington's resort to aggression and other crimes."

I believe because of their massively biased ultra-patriotism, every American has instilled in them from birth to death that there is no greater citizen, no greater country, and no greater way of life than the United States of America.

When ultra-propaganda and ultra-patriotic distortions of reality combine with the raw strength of a superpower...

The U.S. doesn't need to listen to what anyone else in the playground says. Brute force is the only hand that they play. Truth no longer matters, because once the government perpetually controls public perception...

The truth is whatever they want it to be.

[speakingtruth2power]

Greta post!!

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Huzzah!

[Zyzzygowski]

.
Will anyone ask Sen Clinton or Sen McCain if they still think Sen Obama is still naive for saying we should act, even in Pakistan? Recall, that it was Pres Bush who first said in Jan 02 that, "If a country is too timid to act, we will."

Scarey, but Pres Bush and Sen Obama are right.