Bush Meets Pakistani Prime Minister After U.S. Strike in Tribal Area

President Bush praised Pakistan's commitment to fighting the Taliban and other extremists along its deteriorating border with Afghanistan on Monday, only hours after an American missile strike destroyed a militant outpost in that region, killing six, according to administration and Pakistani officials.

Mr. Bush, meeting with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani at the White House, sought to minimize the administration's concerns about Pakistan's willingness to fight extremists along its border with Afghanistan.

Senior American officials, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice just three days ago, have publicly urged Pakistan to do more to deny safe havens to extremists and terrorists, like the one bombed on Monday.

With Mr. Gilani standing beside him on the South Lawn, Mr. Bush instead praised Pakistan as "a strong ally and a vibrant democracy" and expressed appreciation for "the prime minister's strong words against the extremists and terrorists."

"We talked about the need for us to make sure that the Afghan border is secure, as best as possible," Mr. Bush said before the two leaders began a private lunch. "Pakistan has made a very strong commitment to that."

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[LorettaSingbiel]

Bush praised Pakistan as "a strong ally and a vibrant democracy" and expressed appreciation for "the prime minister's strong words against the extremists and terrorists."

Well that's a fine howdy-do...

BUSH = MCCAIN want to bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb IRAN because THEIR "extremists" are stirring up trouble in Iraq. AND YET ... the country that offers a SAFE HAVEN to BIN LADEN and his SURGING recruitment & training camps is PRAISED by BUSH = MCCAIN as a "strong ally and a vibrant democracy" for using "strong WORDS" against BIN LADEN (mastermind behind OUR 911 ATTACK)!!!???

DISGUSTING DISPLAY of "APPEASEMENT"... IMO!!!

(BTW ... just HOW MANY BILLIONS OF DOLLARS are we STILL shipping to PAKISTAN ... to persuade them to use "strong WORDS" against OUR #1 ENEMIES???)

ANYONE who's STILL planning to vote for MCCAIN = BUSH ought to have their head examined!!!

Drag BIN LADEN out of his PROTECTED hideout in PAKISTAN ... call it a "victory" ... and BRING OUR TROOPS BACK HOME!!!

OBAMA '08!
HOPE & CHANGE!

[NoBo08]

You either do not understand diplomacy or a too partisan to admit Bush is doing what is right under the circumstances.

OBAMA '08!
HOPE & CHANGE!

Hope that everyone forgets about Jeremiah Wright, William Ayers, Father Pfleger, Rashid Khalidi, and the other terrorists and anti-Semites friends of the Obamas.
Hope that every one forgets that Obama would rather lose a war than an election.
Hope nobody realizes that Obama is the most liberal one in the senate.
Hope that no one notices that Obama has flopped on nearly every position.
Hope no one realizes that Obama has no no experience except community organizing.

[rmreddicks]

I wouldn't trust the U.S. military "brass" (on up to the commander and thief) to be able to discern a nine year old school girl from a supposed terrorist with chemical training. On their best day.

[NoBo08]

That analysis is performed at a somewhat lower level than you suggest. But you probably don;t trust them either.

[eden4barack08]

What's this? The third foreign policy agenda that the sitting Administration copies from the Junior Senator/Candidate ? Wow! And then they call him naive and inexperienced!

He said we should talk to Iran, B ush starts talking, he said we should get out of Iraq, B ush agrees to a 'time horizon', he said Afghanistan is the real war, B ush agrees, he said Pakistan needs to be persuaded to do more to help, and action is taken by B ush immediately. Amazing!

If only a person like O bama had been Pres all these years, we wouldn't be in this ordeal.
He'll have quite a mess to clean up when he takes office in Jan 2009.

[NoBo08]

You are spinning events to match your views.

[eden4barack08]

Check your head first, I believe that's what's spinning.

[watchingthings]

.......must have been alot of smirking going on in the Oval Office while the Pakistani PM was visiting there.

[eden4barack08]

What's this? The third foreign policy agenda that the sitting Administration copies from the Junior Senator/Candidate ? Wow! And then they call him naive and inexperienced!

He said we should talk to Iran, Bush starts talking, he said we should get out of Iraq, Bush agrees to a 'time horizon', he said Afghanistan is the real war, Bush agrees, he said Pakistan needs to be persuaded to do more to help, and action is taken by Bush immediately. Amazing!

If only a person like Obama had been Pres all these years, we wouldn't be in this mess.
He'll have quite a mess to clean up when he takes office in Jan 2009.

[VictorLudorum]

The World depends on Communication..The Pashtuns are not terrorists then they must be hypocrites but they are against Patahans ..The pushtoons or pakhtoons have Islamabad but the NWFP and Afgan Border get no International Communication... the affairs in consciense get very little resoponse but the evil wisperers drag affairs to delay affairs into the consciense ...or the strength of breath intowards the heart........................................................... Nato is actually a Gun Runner and even Europe doesntv want Nato because they have composded another European Security Organisation.


However the 73 trivia and Carter/Zia are busy..I just said there is no unilateralism here..A Drug Lord and Terrorist are two things but there can be serious wars in cities by Drug barons....
Think!
Think!
Think!

The Regimes on a killing spree then ?

[OneTop]

My goodness how can a nation like the U.S. be so un-informed ?

"The center of the war on terror"

What a show of ignorance.

The U.S. and under duress other NATO allies are in the region to secure and build energy Pipelines from the Caspian Basin. The Locals who are Pashtun tribesman are not terrorists. They have never been so. They may also be Taliban fighters who do not want outsiders in their country (Go figure ...) but they are not terrorists.

Do everyone a great service and buy a book or at the very least learn to read.

[darthdarcy]

It's the same old story of Pakistan playing both sides for it own benefit...

The Pakistani ISI Chief Ahmed sent Mohamed Atta $100,000.00 to finance the 9/11 attack..

Then he was meeting with our government on 9/10 and 9/12 2001...

[VictorLudorum]

Pakistan Airlines were taxed 400 Million USD by Washington ,i remember the advertisements around 9/11 too............o yea! the ISi is on the run with the IB's.......The Mik,itary dictator is himself the Terrorism spheroid....

[Roci]

So, we take "a strong ally and a vibrant democracy" and commit an act of war against them? Nice one Bonzo.
How do I put this diplomatically?
The Pakistani government and its foreign intelligence service have engaged in systematic and intentional use of obfuscation, prevarication, deliberate falsehoods and distortions as regards al Queda, Bin Laden, and his presence in and use of certain areas of the Sovereign State of Pakistan as a refuge, harbor, and base of operations.

That's a nice way of saying that this "strong ally and a vibrant democracy" is playing the USA for a bunch of saps. Maybe when we pull our foreign policy backsides out of Iraq, and point them toward Afghanistan, where they should have been these 8 years past, we can do our Pakistani "ally" a favor, and sort them out as well. One can but hope.
Roci

[rmreddicks]

"(I)ts foreign intelligence service have engaged in systematic and intentional use of obfuscation, prevarication, deliberate falsehoods and distortions as regards al Queda, Bin Laden...,"

Sounds stunningly familiar. I think we can also add "(P)laying the USA (citizens - my addition) for a bunch of saps."

[brainuser]

For a different take:
"Pakistan PM raises attack in meeting with George Bush"
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24094470-2703,00.html

[rmreddicks]

You'll have to copy and paste the whole line (to the end of the html). Thanks "brainuser".

[darthmaul]

George told the Prime Minister of Pakistan, "look, we need a photo op, or I can't justify selling you these F16's, you know the ones you are going to use to fight terrorism?"

I wish I was being sarcastic, but the administration is actually trying to convince us that Pakistan really needs to spend the money that we gave to fight terrorism to buy F16's. You know all those terrorist that are flying at around 30,000 feet. F16's are the only thing that's going to stop them. No need to have boots on the ground on the border. Heck, that's too dangerous!

[HeIsTheOne]

Me thinks that PM Gilani is looking for another hand out before DuhBU leaves in January. Gilani knows that the buck will stop with BHO.

S**t, $10Billion wasn't enough!

"A recent study of aid to Pakistan by the Center for Strategic and International Studies calculated that, excluding covert funds, the United States has provided more than $10 billion to Pakistan since 2001, about half of that through poorly accounted "reimbursement" of expenses incurred in the war against al-Qaeda and Taliban. "

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/01/05/ST2008010502609.html

[mikegoodyearaz85338]

I can hardly wait until Obama escalates the war in Afghanistan and sends troops into Pakistan. This is the center of the war on teror. I am sure the HuffingtonPost will be recruiting for patrotic Americans to serve in the armed forces and fight for President Obama.

[mediamarv]

Weren't you just in Knoxville.. or was that just someone who thinks exactly like you??

BTW, great news about Novak... what a great way to end a hit and run story: declare tumor!
Brilliant!