Would You Support US Troops Following the Taliban/al-qaeda Into Pakistan?

[tekisui]

Our stated objectives are to disrupt and destroy the extremist Taliban and al-qaeda. If the surge in Afghanistan drives them into Pakistan, would you support following them into Pakistan to destroy and disrupt them?

If that is what it took to 'finish the job', would you support it?

It seems to me the war will be moving from Afghanistan to Pakistan in the near future, adding troops to the drone attacks.

[Sinti]

1. The drones were a softening agent

The troops will 'finish the job' and then the job will move - JMHO. India also has nukes, they may be next - Remember Mumbai.

[timeforpeace]

7. The war without end? You bet. That's what all this presages.

[closeupready]

9. India needs to be defanged, eventually. They can not be allowed to

annex Kashmir nor to possess nukes.

[Swamp Rat]

2. Other: Nuke them from orbit.

[stray cat]

3. Would you arrest Bin Laden if you found him in Pakistan even if Pakistani police

were not involved

[tekisui]

4. You mean like a citizen's arrest?

I probably wouldn't. I assume he has armed guards nearby and I wouldn't risk my life trying to bear hug obl into submission.

[anigbrowl]

5. Yes, within limits

I would be OK with working with the Pakistani government inside their border. If we had definite intelligence about somewhere we could 'drop a bomb on bin Laden' (eg clear indications of an AQ training camp) I'd probably be OK with that too. No, I am not suggesting we just do whatever and get into a conflict with the Pakistani government.

However, I think it's a bit of a meaningless question - not because the issue might not arise, but because the individual circumstances behind such a military judgment call are very specific, so I don't feel that a simple yes/no answer can be a good guide to policy. In practice I think it much more likely that we will (or already do) supply drone or satellite intelligence to the Pakistani army and demand they act against specific targets.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. Nixon tried that in Cambodia - that didn't work out too well either.

[closeupready]

8. That would be a clusterfuck of epidemic proportions.

NO.