Obama: U.S. needs to come down hard on Musharraf

Obama: U.S. needs to come down hard on Musharraf


December 28, 2007

BY ABDON M. PALLASCH Political Reporter

WILLIAMSBURG, Iowa -- A day after former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, White House hopeful Barack Obama said the United States needs to come down hard on Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.

Obama said today he would suspend any military aid to Pakistan not directly going to fight al Qaida until Musharraf gets “serious” about stomping out the group.

“We have poured billions of dollars in support to President Musharraf,” Obama told hundreds of supporters who braved a snowstorm to hear him at the Mary Welsh Elementary School. “This despite the fact that he has suspended democratic practices in Pakistan. He has not obeyed the constitution. He has put the chief justice there under house arrest, still has political prisoners and the press is suppressed. As we’re supposed to be leading up to elections.”

Obama and most of the other Democratic and Republican presidential candidates are scrambling around Iowa amid heavy snowfall today with just days to go before next week’s caucuses.

“As long as we are supporting somebody who the Pakistani people themselves believe has subverted democracy, that strengthens the hand of the Islamic militants,” Obama told the crowd.

more...

http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/717203,obama122807.article

to dictate how the aid is spent, in terms of just fighting AQ. I agree that we shouldn't endlessly appease Musharraf, though.

make the aid dependent on certain things being achieved or done, if he does nothing to really combat the militants etc etc then portions of the aid will not be given, the less he does the less he gets, the more of the requirements he fulfills the more of the aid he gets

Hee! Heee!

I completely missed that when I read it the first time. Thank goodness you pointed it out. :D

and it still is.
Biden has also got it right on this issue.

Enough of these propped up dictators. We need to get serious about all of the influences in the region, from Israel to Saudi Arabia to Iran. No more of these phony "allies" who lie to their people and serve no purpose except to control oil.

sounds like he's come down with Hillaryitis. suppose he will be in FRONT of the troops during the charge?

Msongs

diplomacy has its merits - maybe we forgot that after 8 years of the GOP "coming down hard" on dictators.