05-03-2011, 09:15 PM
Grace, is your OP quoting from somewhere else? I don't agree with the main thrust regardless. In my view, killing OBL in Pakistan directly follows from the policies and tactics started by the Bush administration. Bush would have handled the situation in most likely the same way.
Obama did decide to take the high risk, high reward approach: going in with commandos on the ground instead of an air strike. But Bush would have probably done the same thing. This operation will be good for Obama politically, mainly because many had doubts that he would have the courage or conviction to pull it off. That doubt was of course wrong, and conflicts with what Obama has said he would do with this situation going back to the campaign and the debates.
I agree with the point about Pakistan: the future from here is mostly all about Pakistan. But this is a complicated, difficult problem for them, and it has been clear and will continue to be clear that Pakistan is not, and cannot be, consistent as an ally to us or in the opposition to Al Queda. All we can do is try to continue to thread that needle through diplomacy and other means.
Obama did decide to take the high risk, high reward approach: going in with commandos on the ground instead of an air strike. But Bush would have probably done the same thing. This operation will be good for Obama politically, mainly because many had doubts that he would have the courage or conviction to pull it off. That doubt was of course wrong, and conflicts with what Obama has said he would do with this situation going back to the campaign and the debates.
I agree with the point about Pakistan: the future from here is mostly all about Pakistan. But this is a complicated, difficult problem for them, and it has been clear and will continue to be clear that Pakistan is not, and cannot be, consistent as an ally to us or in the opposition to Al Queda. All we can do is try to continue to thread that needle through diplomacy and other means.