Bringing The War To The Terrorists In Pakistan - The Right Way

Obama, in his clumsily conceived and delivered line about openly sending troops into Pakistan, regardless of Pakistani opposition, shows how un-nuanced he is in foreign policy.

Nuance, of course, is not merely a technique, but a goal - and end in and of itself - in liberal foreign policy. But Obama doesn't even get that part right. And Obama arrogantly assumes nothing is being done to fight the terrorists hiding in Pakistan. He assumes that, because the raids don't make it to the headlines of the NY Times, they don't exist. He assumes the same thing for diplomacy with rogue states like Iran - he assumes nothing is ongoing and he is wrong.

Read this story here to see the correct way to bring the war to the Taliban hiding in Pakistan.

The important new development here is that now Central Command, the military panel in charge of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has the power to approve raids into Pakistan. This is much better than having Cabinet-level approval. If one knows, for example, a senior Al-Qaeda leader is going to be in a certain place, we need to strike and not wait for a bunch of politicians to convene.

And, now General Petraeus will be in charge of both wars, not just the forces in Iraq. We've got the right man for the job on this thing.

Notable quotes:

In the last two weeks, the military has begun launching ground assaults in the Pakistani border provinces known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, American intelligence and military officials said. The region is believed by American and Pakistani intelligence to be hosting the leadership of Al Qaeda, including Osama bin Laden.

While American special forces and military contractors have conducted raids in Pakistan, such actions were rare and required Cabinet-level approval. In July, the leadership of Central Command, which oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, was given the sole authority to approve ground assaults in Pakistan. Late last month, the American military began launching ground attacks in the country on a near daily basis, depending on local conditions and intelligence, according to a military official who requested anonymity.

The escalation in Pakistan is due in part to the incoming leader of Central Command, General David Petraeus, who has been credited with changing the course of the Iraq war and is said to have the full trust of President Bush. Before formally taking the reins at Central Command, General Petraeus began meeting in June with Pakistani political leaders to develop an effective strategy for combating Al Qaeda in the border provinces.

Not letting up at The Pantheon Journal.