Pakistan Criticizes Barack Obama

[helderheid]

Friday August 3, 2007 8:31 PM

By ROHAN SULLIVAN

Associated Press Writer

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistani officials called Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama irresponsible for saying that, if elected, he might order unilateral military strikes in Pakistan against al-Qaida.

Hundreds chanted anti-U.S. slogans and burned an American flag in the street to protest the remark.

Obama's comment turned up the heat on already simmering anger among Pakistanis about the issue, after senior Bush administration officials said last week they too would consider such strikes if intelligence warranted them.

Further inflaming the situation was a comment by Tom Tancredo, a Colorado Republican whose bid for the White House is considered unlikely to succeed, that the best way he could think of to deter a nuclear terrorist attack on America would be to threaten to retaliate by bombing the holiest of Islamic sites, Mecca and Medina.

U.S. officials quickly distanced themselves from Tancredo's remarks.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6825889,00.html

[w13rd0]

1. OH NO!!

Please, Mussharaf is a fucking dictator, and his regime sponsored the Taliban (and likely still does, "under the table") until it became obvious doing so openly would get his ass bombed. Pffft...

[Deja Q]

2. Better to threaten than to pre-empt.

Pre-emptive attacks aren't always effective and fear of a reprisal may be more effective.

Of course, the holiest of the holy might in turn drop everything to slaughter as many people as they could if they found out Mecca was blown to glowing green bits...

Though to make an effective* suitcase nuke bomb, it's not easy to make, not easy to conceal, not easy to maneuver around town without somebody noticing. Even our own thick population would see something a little TOO amiss with some bloke, lady, or toddler (what the hell) trying to keep po-faced while lugging a 50 pound suitcase bomb. Paper isn't THAT heavy.


* The key word being "effective", no doubt a bomb sufficient of just wreaking havoc would be easier, but everybody's big fear right now is "nuclear" and every radioactive substance worth a hoot is heavy and needs proper shielding from detectors.

And do take all this with a grain of salt; web based sites aren't ones I'd take at face value... when it comes to nuclear, I still think it's the sole province of large nations. Piddling terrorist wankers clearly can't get the stuff because they're too busy hijacking airplanes, jumping around hurdles holding their little guns, or ramming gas tank filled trucks into airport foyers. Which says a lot about their intelligence, planes aside even teenage wastes of life do the same things.