Taking our eyes off the target

[RunInRed 16,528]

Here is what happens when you take your eyes off the target and get myriad in some one elses' civil war:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Al Qaeda is still operating within Pakistan's mountainous tribal region bordering Afghanistan, and the United States lacks a "comprehensive" plan for meeting its national security goals there, said a U.S. government study released Thursday.

Despite the United States providing $10.5 billion in military and economic aid to Pakistan, a key U.S. ally, the Government Accountability Office said it "found broad agreement ... that al Qaeda had regenerated its ability to attack the United States and had succeeded in establishing a safe haven" in Pakistan's Federally Administrated Tribal Areas.

Of the $10.5 billion in U.S. aid, more than half -- $5.8 billion -- was specifically provided for the tribal region, the GAO said.

Furthermore, the report said, "No comprehensive plan for meeting U.S. national security goals in FATA has been developed, as stipulated by the National Security Strategy for Combating Terrorism [in 2003], called for by an independent commission [in 2004] and mandated by congressional legislation [in 2007]."

"Our report does not state that the U.S. lacks agency-specific plans; rather, we found that there was no comprehensive plan that integrated the combined capabilities of Defense, State, USAID [u.S. Agency for International Development], the intelligence community," GAO said.

After the September 11 terrorist attacks, U.S. officials said intelligence indicated that Osama bin Laden and other senior al Qaeda leaders, who had been based in Afghanistan before the attacks on New York and Washington, were operating in the tribal region.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has denied that claim and has said that U.S. military missions there would violate Pakistan's sovereignty.

So, since 2002, the United States has "relied principally on the Pakistan military to address U.S. national security goals" in that region, the GAO report said. Of the $5.8 billion the United States provided for aid in the tribal region, 96 percent of it reimbursed Pakistan for military operations there, the agency said.

Two of the eight lawmakers who commissioned the GAO report, Democratic Sens. Tom Harkin of Iowa and Bob Menendez of New Jersey, said it indicated a failing on the part of the Bush administration.

"The Bush administration has had six years to come up with a plan to get Osama bin Laden and his group, but it is still flying by the seat of its pants," Menendez said in a statement.

"We've dumped 10 billion American taxpayer dollars into Pakistan with the expectation that the terrorists will be hunted down and smoked out, but al Qaeda has been allowed to rejuvenate in the area that is supposed to be locked down," he said.

Harkin called the report's findings "appalling."

"The White House must propose a strategic policy in this area and follow it, especially when we have this new opportunity to forge a fresh strategic relationship with the new civilian government in Pakistan," he said in a statement.

The Defense Department said it agreed with the report's findings, according to letters attached at the end of the GAO report, but the State Department disagreed with them, saying there was a comprehensive plan in place.

A letter from Kathleen Turner, a spokeswoman for the office of the Director of National Intelligence, said that office and the National Counterterrorism Center concurred with the report's assessment that the United States has not met its national security goals in the tribal region but maintained that there was a plan in place.

USAID said that it generally agreed with the report's recommendation for a comprehensive plan but that work in the tribal areas should be guided by the Pakistani government's own FATA Sustainable Development Plan from 2006.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/17/gao.pakistan/

[Tigermike 3,078]

Let me get this straight. Dims have been ranting about the "Iraq invasion" for years. Dims preemptively protested strikes on Iran. Dims (not all but some) were protesting the Afghanistan "invasion" within days of 9/11. NOW Dims want to invade Pakistan, because terrorist are living and operating openly in the Northern provinces.

So Obama's foreign policy plan is to cut and run from Iraq and increase military operations in Afghanistan? What he wants is to wear out their sandals walking back and fourth from Afghanistan to Iraq and back to Afghanistan.

PS - Taking our eyes off the target is wrong in many ways. It implies that dims have ever been in favor of having a target in the first place and actually doing something about it in the second.

[arnaldoabru 11]

What "Dims" were against attacking the Taliban and al Quida in Afgahnistan?

[Tigermike 3,078]

What "Dims" were against attacking the Taliban and al Quida in Afgahnistan?

I will find the link and provide it. (later)

[arnaldoabru 11]

What "Dims" were against attacking the Taliban and al Quida in Afgahnistan?

I will find the link and provide it. (later)

My guess will be from the NEOCON NEWS.

[Tigermike 3,078]

What "Dims" were against attacking the Taliban and al Quida in Afgahnistan?

Is this close enough to 9/11 for you?

More than 89 percent of Americans agree the U.S. led strikes in Afghanistan are justified, according to recent polls. However, there is a growing number of Americans who believe the U.S. should have tried other options before dropping bombs on Afghanistan.

Using their figures there were 11% (dims?) who wanted no military response of any type.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features...ce_protest.html

Stock Footage: 2001 Anti-War Protest Stock Footage

The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition formed on September 14, 2001.

The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition organized the first national demonstration against war and racism following September 11 on September 29, 2001, which brought 25,000 people into the streets of Washington DC and 15,000 in San Francisco.

http://www.answerseattle.org/

What "Dims" were against attacking the Taliban and al Quida in Afgahnistan?

I will find the link and provide it. (later)

My guess will be from the NEOCON NEWS.

As usual your guess is as bright as your IQ.

[arnaldoabru 11]

What "Dims" were against attacking the Taliban and al Quida in Afgahnistan?

Is this close enough to 9/11 for you?

More than 89 percent of Americans agree the U.S. led strikes in Afghanistan are justified, according to recent polls. However, there is a growing number of Americans who believe the U.S. should have tried other options before dropping bombs on Afghanistan.

Using their figures there were 11% (dims?) who wanted no military response of any type.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features...ce_protest.html

Stock Footage: 2001 Anti-War Protest Stock Footage

The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition formed on September 14, 2001.

The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition organized the first national demonstration against war and racism following September 11 on September 29, 2001, which brought 25,000 people into the streets of Washington DC and 15,000 in San Francisco.

http://www.answerseattle.org/

What "Dims" were against attacking the Taliban and al Quida in Afgahnistan?

I will find the link and provide it. (later)

My guess will be from the NEOCON NEWS.

As usual your guess is as bright as your IQ.

By "dims" I assumed you ment Democratic Senators and Memebers of Congress.

[Tigermike 3,078]

What "Dims" were against attacking the Taliban and al Quida in Afgahnistan?

Is this close enough to 9/11 for you?

More than 89 percent of Americans agree the U.S. led strikes in Afghanistan are justified, according to recent polls. However, there is a growing number of Americans who believe the U.S. should have tried other options before dropping bombs on Afghanistan.

Using their figures there were 11% (dims?) who wanted no military response of any type.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features...ce_protest.html

Stock Footage: 2001 Anti-War Protest Stock Footage

The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition formed on September 14, 2001.

The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition organized the first national demonstration against war and racism following September 11 on September 29, 2001, which brought 25,000 people into the streets of Washington DC and 15,000 in San Francisco.

http://www.answerseattle.org/

What "Dims" were against attacking the Taliban and al Quida in Afgahnistan?

I will find the link and provide it. (later)

My guess will be from the NEOCON NEWS.

As usual your guess is as bright as your IQ.

By "dims" I assumed you ment Democratic Senators and Memebers of Congress.

No I was not limiting my comment to elected Dims. But I am not sure what Dennis Kucinich was saying at that time.

[Tiger Al 0]

TM, you realize that the "Stock Footage: 2001 Anti-War Protest Stock Footage" video is from an Iraq war protest, don't you? Look at their signs.

[arnaldoabru 11]

TM, you realize that the "Stock Footage: 2001 Anti-War Protest Stock Footage" video is from an Iraq war protest, don't you? Look at their signs.

Why let facts get in the way?

[Tigermike 3,078]

TM, you realize that the "Stock Footage: 2001 Anti-War Protest Stock Footage" video is from an Iraq war protest, don't you? Look at their signs.

It was a mistake Al. I looked at the date "Stock Footage: 2001 Anti-War Protest Stock Footage" and just put the link in my reply to arnold.

TM, you realize that the "Stock Footage: 2001 Anti-War Protest Stock Footage" video is from an Iraq war protest, don't you? Look at their signs.

Why let facts get in the way?

For someone who ignores fact in almost every thread, that is laughable.