Bomb syntax
After winning the Wisconsin primary tonight, John McCain repeated his misleading claim that Barack Obama wants to bomb Pakistan:
“…. will we risk the confused leadership of an inexperienced candidate who once suggested bombing our ally, Pakistan…” [Link]
What Obama actually wants is surgical airstrikes against Al Qaeda leaders in tribal areas, not against Islamabad:
It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al Qaeda leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won’t act, we will. [Link]
Look who sees the wisdom of Obama’s policy now:
The missiles killed Abu Laith al-Libi, a senior al-Qaeda commander… the U.S. spy agency did not seek approval. The government of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf was notified only as the operation was underway… It is an approach that some U.S. officials say could be used more frequently this year… [Link]
Yup. Dubya, the guy endorsing McCain.
McCain talks of a 100-year troop presence in Iraq, is famous for screaming hissy fits on the Senate floor and sang ‘Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran’ to a delighted press corps. Does he really want to raise the loose cannon factor?
McCain’s attack wasn’t even internally coherent. The full quote:
“Will the next president have the experience?” he asked. “Or will we risk the confused leadership of an inexperienced candidate who once suggested bombing our ally, Pakistan, and suggested sitting down without preconditions or clear purpose with enemies who support terrorists and are intent on destabilizing the world by acquiring nuclear weapons?” [Link]
The first half of his sentence says Obama’s too aggressive. The second says he’s too diplomatic. So which is it? Will we risk another candidate for whom English is the enemy?
on Tuesday, February 19th, 2008, 11:30 pm in Barack Obama, Pakistan, Politics › 
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thanks for the washington post article Manish…I have to read the entire article tomorrow..
Hillary also keeps saying the same thing misquoting obama like mccain about obamas statement on pakistan..
keep paying pakistan millions of dollars like the way did last 3 -4 years without capturing any terrorist and keep doing that…keeping troups for another 100 yrs and running out of all our social security money and leaving country in debt? good for economy right?
obama was right about pakistan, Iran , Iraq…he seems to have a more mature foreign policy than Hillary or Mccain though he is considered inexperienced..
Now that mushariff is out..US govt is worried if the new govt will even fight against terrorism and support US or not.. next president has a tough task..even other wise day by day pakistan is becoming a breeding place for terrorists..someone has to stop them somehow..diplomacy and paying pakistan millions of dollars to capture terrorists last 4 years didnot work..do they have any other choice?
BTW Manish perfect mccain picture here..looks ek dam jealous and mean..
I do respect mccain for his war and prison time and other things..but he is not right here,..
McCain represents the anti-thesis of the self-made man. He is affirmative action for white people.
- McCain got into the Naval Academy because of legacy (Father & Grandfather were supreme commanders in the Navy. Parts of the Monterray Postgraduate School are named after them.)
-McCain graduated at the bottom of the class in the Navy.
-McCain was rewarded with flight school (a plumb assignment reserved for the top of the class).
-McCain is a hero for his conduct as a POW in Viet Nam. A misguided US war but that’s a different topic.
-McCain dumps his wife for a 25-year old at age 40. Cindy also happens to be the heiress of a beer fortune.
-McCain has the same bull dog tendencies of the current President. We’ll be embroiled in more wars.
McCain is a decent man, but not worthy of Presidential timber… but look who occupies it now — Dubya the poster child for nepotism.
Is Dubya the poster child for nepotism, or for brand name recognition?
Good description…
It is irksome to see anti-intellectuals like Dubya and McCain compare themselves to Teddy Roosevelt. TR was an academic man. He wrote a definitive ornithological study of New York BEFORE age 20. He wrote the definitive analysis for the War of 1812. His books on Winning the West are historical milestones… he also graduated near the top of his class at Harvard. TR was a tour-de-force in literature.