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Republicans tread Obama road
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ASIANAGE
23 September, 2008 05:44:43
Kenneth J. Cooper
Boston, Sept. 23: After Barack Obama vowed to go after Al Qaeda targets inside Pakistan, even without that government’s consent, the Democratic presidential nominee was criticised by fellow Democrats, his Republican opponent John McCain and President George Bush’s spokesman.
That was a year ago. Now US military forces, under a secret order from Mr Bush in July, have been doing just that this month in tribal areas of Pakistan across the border from Afghanistan.
"The Bush administration has come to that point of view," said Susan Rice, Mr Obama’s top adviser on foreign policy. "This is a baby step, but it’s a baby step in the right direction and something that John McCain hasn’t been willing to acknowledge."
Ms Rice meant a "baby step" toward boosting US military operations against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But the Bush administration’s embrace of Mr Obama’s position is also a step toward the Democrat overcoming public opinion that his limited experience in international affairs could be a handicap if he is elected President.
Polls show more voters trust Mr McCain to conduct the nation’s foreign policy. Since the Vietnam War four decades ago, which leading Democrats pushed to end, the party has been seen as weak on national defence. Republicans are perceived as more supportive of the military and inclined to send troops into action.
In this case, the Democrat has taken a more aggressive posture than the Republican, a former Navy pilot who belongs to a family with a tradition of military service.
In August 2007, Mr Obama declared in a major foreign policy speech that "if we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets" and Pakistan’s President "won’t act, we will."
Mr McCain called Mr Obama "naïve" for broadcasting his military intentions and being willing to violate Pakistan’s sovereignty. Hillary Clinton, then leading the race for the Democratic nomination, also called him naïve.
Two other Democratic candidates criticised Mr Obama, including Bill Richardson, a former ambassador to the United Nations.
Mr Bush’s press secretary at the time, Tony Snow, said the administration "respects the sovereignty of Pakistan" and works in cooperation with its government.
Since then, Mr McCain has repeated his comment about Mr Obama being naïve, but has at times endorsed Mr Obama’s position. Pressed in June by a radio interviewer, Mr McCain said: "Of course, I would take action if we had actionable intelligence" that identified an Al Qaeda target at a specific time and place in Pakistan.
Mr McCain predicted carrying out the policy, besides violating international conventions, could stoke a dangerous level of instability in Pakistan. He called launching unilateral attacks on its sovereign soil "dicey" because "if Pakistan turns into an anti-American country and a base for radical Islamic extremism" then "you ain’t seen nothing yet."
Last week, Sarah Palin also agreed with Mr Obama in her first interview as Mr McCain’s running-mate for vice-president. She said the US "has to exercise all options in order to stop the terrorists who are hell bent on destroying America and our allies."
The writer is a former New Delhi-based South Asia bureau chief of the Washington Post and a Pulitzer Prize winner
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http://zfacts.com/p/1059.html | 01/18/12 07:23 GMT
Modified: Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:12:57 GMT
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