Now that we know where Al Qaeda is massed, get a bunch more US troops in there BEFORE we attack. Don't outsource this job again like we did in Tora Bora. Asking Musharaff for help is useless; He will just tip off Al Qaeda then claim he tried to help by simply showing up.

This is so stupid. We don't have to convince anyone. If the CIA claims something is true, then it has to be true. Why don't we just nuke Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Then we will have a very peaceful world with flowers blooming all around.

If the intelligence agencies of the US and Pakistan are collaborating at all levels then what's the point in "confronting" Musharraf with this evidence?

The Pakistani army has reportedly attacked every facility identified to be supporting these terrorists at great political and social cost in the Tribal Areas. This is an area that was never under the government's direct control due to tribal pacts made by the British Army during it's centuries long occupation of the region.

Musharraf has posted 75,000 troops on the long border with Afghanistan but how many troops does the US/NATO have along the same border on the Afghan side? If the US/Afghan surveillance is so good then how come taliban are moving freely on BOTH sides of the border?

Because of hard and fast rules of diplomacy we are in a lose-lose situation. Unless we act militarily in Pakistan the al-Qaeda foothold there can only grow stronger in Pakistan as well as Afghanistan. The time is not far off when the U.S. will largely withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan and declare that the war against terrorism is being won. Only the most foolish and ignorant people in the world will believe that. But, then again, only the most foolish and ignorant voted Bush in for a second term.

It's all so simple, begin a withdrawal in Iraq to the south at the same speed as the original assault in the beginning of the war. Establish a 10 mile perimeter kill zone around the oil fields and pipeline area. Point 50% of the weapons and troops toward Iran and begin the bombing of the AQ sites in Pakistan. Then let the Sunni and Shite kill each other off.

I believe we should allow Wal-Mart and Jiffy Lube and SEARS to attack Pakistan's infrastructure until they drive all privately-owned Pakistani business out of business. Then we open a chain of Steak restaurants that specialize in American style cooking. Perhaps then they will take the terrorist threat seriously.

I believe we should allow Wal-Mart and Jiffy Lube and SEARS to attack Pakistan's infrastructure until they drive all privately-owned Pakistani business out of business. Then we open a chain of Steak restaurants that specialize in American style cooking. Perhaps then they will take the terrorist threat seriously.

The most serious flaw in all this development was to consider Musharraf as an aide. A person who does not have even a good moral standing can hardly be relied on when it comes to a serious issue like terrorism. The only motive that Musharraf has is his regime. He does not want it to end. And thus to the U.S he shows that he is against Al-Qaeda. To his own citizen, however, he cant appear the same. He shows his own people a different picture telling them. " America is going to erase your mark from the surface of earth. You thank me as I am stopping that catastrophe from happening." Now, Pakistani citizens simply have developed a negative opinion of the U.S. And it is all because of the Musharraf. If he had been clear in his message, this would not happen. He could have sternly told his own people (just like he tells the US): "Look, I cant stand any terrorism whatsoever."

The result of all this is that any action that is taken against these radical elements by the military is thought to be coming from the U.S. Thus as a nation Pakistan is turning against the US. Of course, this will intensify angry feelings in the US. No body understands this fact that there is no war between Pakistan and U.S. It is just a common goal towards which all activity is directed: stopping terrorism.
I personally feel that the only person at fault here is Musharraf himself. He does not want to lose his regime. Period. And he does not mind killing innocent people as well as terrorists in order to please the US. Deep inside, also, he never welcomes terrorism to stop. In terrorism, lies his survival.

Philip Saenz wrote:-

If Musharraf doesn't move, then we should bomb the Al-Qaeda in Pakistan. Remember that Al-Qaeda wants to wipe us out. We should destroy them wherever they are before they destroy us. Period.
I agree.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia both need to be taught a lesson. and we are inching towards a showdown with them.

I say the US cuts of the millions upon millions in aid that we have been pumping into Pakistan...Musharraf is out with his own agenda, using the money US gives him to support his cause.

F him.

If a predator drone bombed an AQ training camp in the tribal zone, would anyone hear it?

What are they going to do - go public with outrage over the ruined shelter they agreed not to provide?

P.S. Hey Pam - before you blame the liberals too much for this, give a little thought to who set the policies in a vaccuum until about a month ago. But hey, some people always blame America first, I guess.

"Now, Pakistani citizens simply have developed a negative opinion of the U.S. And it is all because of the Musharraf", ha..ha...is a joke, its depend on US conduct.

Sigh...Leave Pakistan alone...we don't want the same fate as Afghanistan and Iraq.Learn from your mistakes USA don't repeat them all over again.

Misty - I think we would prefer to leave Pakistan alone, but when the bad guys who want to blow us up in random attacks are setting up base there, I don't think we can turn our backs and wait for the knives to be inserted.

I've never been in agreement with Iraq, but tell me why Pakistan should get to have a law-free zone where militant groups are safe to operate. History shows they will not be content even if we leave them alone - they will attack civilians in the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

We (USA) owe it to the world, in my opinion, to be judicious with our use of force (which we weren't in Iraq) and understand the ramifications of it. However, I think in this case where we are patrolling a border and men with grenades keep popping up and shooting them at us, that's a pretty good indication that they're the hostile forces we're looking for.

I'm not too happy that our Iraq policy now taints the view of every other decision we have to make, but we can not let that tie our hands if we find those aggressors in a territory that the owning government refuses to account for.

When you go hopping the Afghani/Pakistani border in "Hot Pursuit" and let
"Musharraf must prepare to control the outrage of the howling hordes in his nation when we do."

You had better be ready for those howling Hordes to vilolently over throw his Goverment. Then we would have have a Radical Muslim Regime with Nuclear Tipped ICBM's which would have little or no thought as to to the consequences of lobbing a few about. Or renting them by the megatonne to the first nutbag with a plan.

Flipping Brilliant!

The American people have been shown how our satellite capability is able to detect individuals with minute detail. After all this time bin-Laden should have been detected. No troops are needed with cruise missle capabilities and GPS.
So our treaty with Pakistan takes precedence? Are we waiting for our #1 enemy to slip back into Afghanistan? He may know better.

Musharraf is the only friend we have in Pakistan. If and when he is gone or overthrown the country will be a country controlled by extremists. Ah yes, another war. Fun for you...sucks for the military.

Remember Pakistan is a part of the most important club in the world. The club that means everyone else has to listen to you, no matter how ridiculous you sound. The "I have nukes club". Therefore, we have to protect and listen to Musharraf. We are so worried about stopping terrorists obtaining nukes and yet people are willing to speak so easily about bombing Pakistan. If this government is replaced it will be becuase of us and will be the biggest mistake of our lives. We will hand over nuclear weapons to extremists. This is the most delicate situation in the world.

By the way, of course Musharraf has different tones in speeches. Satisfy your audience. You have speeches directed to your citizens and you have speeches directed towards an international audience. When the leader speaks to its citizens he will be much tougher in that speech than he would be in the international audience. We do it too, look at everytime Dubya speaks with his "dumb you down backdrops and emolden the enemy speeches". He doesn't say that when speaking to overseas audience....ok, maybe he's the exception (axis of evil speech).

Leave alone Iraq/Afghan and others on ther own this world is a safer place befor Bush destroyed the fragment of peace from this world forever.The USA can't control there own border from the illegal immegrants with all the hitech arsenel then how can a economically weaker country like pakistan can do it? I would like to hear from my American friends what they say about it.

I think everyone should just leave Pakistan and Al- Qaeda alone. Half of the people out there don't even know the reason as to why they formed. You have all just labelled them as terrorists but don't know the real reason as to why they are now doing the things they do. Al- Qaeda only formed to protect Muslim people but the people from the West have labelled them as terrorists. We are in modern history, I don't think Pakistan needs Bush to come and tell them what to do. So in all fairness if people from the West would stop sticking their noses into the business of other countries then we would have to face this so called "terrorists attcks". Bush should take care of his own country first.