Pakistan hits out at U.S. terrorism stance
By Paul Eckert, Asia Correspondent: Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Pakistan hit back on Sunday at U.S. critics of its fight against terrorism, insisting its army was best suited to hunt for Osama bin Laden and other al Qaeda militants Washington believes enjoy safe haven in Pakistani tribal areas near Afghanistan.
Appearing on CNN’s “Late Edition,” an angry Foreign Minister Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri criticized talk of U.S. forces attacking al Qaeda on Pakistani territory, warning that any incursion would alienate opinion in the predominantly Muslim U.S. ally against terrorism.
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“What I don’t like is the tone that I am now hearing and that I am now reading in the American media,” said Kasuri.
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Kasuri told CNN talk of an al Qaeda “safe haven” in their country angered the Pakistanis, who have had 700 soldiers killed fighting militants in tribal areas.
“What we need is actionable intelligence” to tackle al Qaeda, he said, and reiterated his government’s view that talk of U.S. strikes inside Pakistan was “irresponsible.”
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Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, a staunch critic of Bush’s war in Iraq, said: “I don’t think we should take anything off the table.” Wherever we find these evil people, we should go get them,” the Nevada Democrat told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Kasuri said U.S. raids into Pakistan would be a mistake. “When you talk of going after targets, you will lose the battle for hearts and minds,” he said. “The Pakistan Army can do the job much better,” he said.
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Bush administration officials stress that they support Musharraf, who is struggling with a violent campaign by Islamic militants and a political crisis following Pakistan’s Supreme Court reinstatement of the chief justice after Musharraf sought to remove him.
This is a dangerous development for Musharraf. The Bush administration cannot shake off the bungling of it’s angry promise to “bring Osama and AlQaeda to justice” for the events of September 11, 2001. Bush claimed over and over that “we will hunt them down wherever they are”. Now, Bush is forced to consider dumping his ‘good buddy’ to the radical opposition and try to play catch up with his promises to America.
Bush got this country sidetracked, took his eye off the original ball to invade Iraq by weaving a web of deception and bungled the whole thing. Bush has covered lies with more lies and protected his deceptions with ‘executive privilege’. Bush has wiggled his ‘executive orders’ into a mesh of Constitution busting edicts. The fabric of America is in the hands of both houses of Congress.
Bush’s mantra that AlQaeda will follow us home is the most ignorant assertion anyone could make! American troops are ‘over there’ getting wasted while they could be here protecting their homes and families. Why would AlQaeda choose to attack America when we are LEAST vulnerable with our troops HERE? Logic would show that we are MOST vulnerable NOW when our protectors are deployed in a quagmire far, far away.
Is this country really buying this backwards logic?
Are all the ‘thinkers’ in this country becoming ‘ex-pats’ or buried into prescription ‘feel-good’ drugs? Those of us, who cannot afford the cost of escape, must deal with the situation at hand. Impeach, Indict or Censure – I don’t care, just do something!
