Barack Obama tried to show he was tough on terrorism by threatening a U.S. air strike on Pakistani soil if President Pervez Musharraf would or could not control al-Qaeda in the nether regions of Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan. Islamabad is making it very clear that they will not accept a strike against their sovereign state.
Musharraf himself has survived multiple assassination attempts and is currently struggling against a jihadists backlash after his army stormed the Red Mosque to take it back out of the control of jihadists about three weeks ago. Obama’s statement flew around the world and was taken as a serious threat from the U.S. especially in light of the fact that President Bush’s administration has not taken an air strike off the table as an option to gain control of regions of Pakistan infested with al-Qaeda.
“Such statements are being made out of sheer ignorance,” Pakistan’s Minister of State for Information, Tariq Azeem, said.
“We have said before that we will not allow anyone to infringe our sovereignty,”
Azeem suggested that the Obama’s threats to bomb Pakistan are due to the United States being able to control the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The minister suggested that Mr Obama’s comments were prompted by Washington’s inability to curb the ongoing Taliban insurgency in neighbouring Afghanistan, where US-led forces toppled the hardline regime in late 2001.
“This seems to be a reaction to their own failure in Afghanistan to control the US casualties and instead of addressing the situation there, they are finding scapegoats and damaging their own cause,” Mr Azeem added.
Pakistan foreign ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam today warned against “point-scoring” by US presidential candidates on vital security issues.
Mr Musharraf abandoned Islamabad’s support for the Taliban in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the US.
Obama made a tough speech to flaunt some muscle in reaction to accusations that he’s weak on defense. As a result, he stepped neck deep into one of the touchiest diplomatic situations we have in the world. Well, there are quite a few touchy diplomatic situations.
I guess we’ll see what kind of damage control his camp will have to do on this blunder.
The thing is, al-Qaeda and other jihadists will be where ever we are. If we leave Iraq and fight in Pakistan (a stated ally in the war) then we’ll be fighting al-Qaeda there. The jihadists we are fighting in Iraq are, for the most part, NOT Iraqi. They are coming to Iraq to fight us.
Leaning Up Straight notes that Obama has said he’d talk with open enemies of the United States without condition but will invade Pakistan!?!?
DeMediacratic Nation acknowledges that al-Qaeda drew first blood, but they don’t know who they are messing with … Rambama!!!! He’s starting a Rambama gallery. Here is my contribution to the Rambama image gallery!
Obama: dumb and naive…
I do believe I have a mean streak…I rather enjoy watching this fool shoot himself in the foot when he shoots off his mouth. :->
BSC: I know what you mean!! lol I thought the same thing. He doesn’t know if he’s coming or going. Mostly he just doesn’t have a clue.
I think he’s one of those ppl raised in priviledge who just never have had to duke it out in the real world.
Wear Red on Friday Round-Up…
Link dump and open trackbacks MOSTLY celebrating our fighting forces! HOOAH!!!!! (Other types posts accepted, however).
Hillbilly White Trash is reporting on a mysterious homemade submarine with three males in it that was found floating around just off…