Obama: U.S. needs to come down hard on Musharraf (Wants all military aid cut off)

Hillary has said make aid conditional, still giving Musharaff military aid, while Obama is trying to weaken Musharaff militarily and force him to make clean elections. Obama is calling for a "suspension" of military aid.



Here is what Hillary just told CNN on military aid to Pakistan from here on out:



What Hil doesn't understand and Obama does is that Musharaff is beyond redemption, that he is just a puppet anyway, we need to move on and act differently from now on. Aiding Musharaff militarily just keeps the moderates from taking back the power he took from them in '98.

By the way, Obama was calling for this cutoff in military aid to Musharaff BEFORE the assassination of Bhutto. That is important to point out.

And right now, we need one to transition from Musharraf to ... what? Part of the problem is that with Bhutto's murder, we are confronted with a real shortage of viable alternatives. Others will rise, that can be certain. They must be identified and cultivated before we make a move that would likely produce one of two icky outcomes:

1. Musharraf says "Fuck you, godless American pig" and embraces a jihadi movement, garneshing some local support. Given the current condition of our military, a strike into Pakistan is problematic, especially given uncertainty about the reaction of the Russian Federation.

2. Musharraf is destabilized to the point where extremist elements are able to take control of one or more nuclear weapons and the genie is out of the bottle. That nightmare scenario forces a military response to seize or destroy said weapons ... a mission that in a turbulent situation faces long odds against success.

In the mean time, I doubt the Indians are urging those carrying gas cans on to the rising bonfire. Right now, everyone needs to take a minute, gather more information, and try to cool the situation down.

Obama's comments surprise me. Normally, he is a great deal more measured and reasoned in his approach to significant issues. I disagree with Obama on several points I regard as vital, which is why I support Edwards, but I do respect his method of approach to most matters. In this case, I believe he really went from a gut level reaction and did not fully consider the implications of his position.

I wouldn't recommend anyone hold this particularly against him or anything ... if nothing else I admit I would enjoy pulling the plug on that little tin dictator myself. But since these guys have nukes, we need to think, speak, and act carefully. I got money that says a President Obama would not be so rash, but would quietly be working towards the day when Musharraf could be pushed out of power without risking a nuclear crisis.

His inexperience and naivete continues to rear its scary head:nuke: :scared: :nuke: