Townsend: U.S. Won't Rule Out Military Incursion into Pakistan

[Hissyspit]

Source: Agence France-Presse

US won't rule out military incursion into Pakistan: Townsend

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The top White House counterterrorism official on Sunday refused to rule out a US military incursion into Pakistan's remote border with Afghanistan to eradicate a resurgent Al-Qaeda militant network.

"The president has made perfectly clear that job number one is protecting the American people. There are no tools off the table, and we use all our instruments of national power to be effective," Fran Townsend, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism told CNN television, when asked whether Washington would resort to military action to disable the network's Pakistan outpost.

There is "no question that we will use any instrument at our disposal to deal with the problem of Osama bin Laden and (Ayman al-)Zawahiri and Al-Qaeda," Townsend said, naming the leaders and second-in-command of the network that carried out the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.

Her comments came after a major US intelligence report, the National Intelligence Estimate, concluded in findings released last week that Al-Qaeda has regenerated, and is redoubling its efforts to get operatives inside the United States.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070723/wl_afp/usattackspakistantownsend_070723050156

[EFerrari]

1. We really don't have anything else besides that hammer, do we?

:(

[jimshoes]

4. And every problem looks

like a nail to this bunch.

[Captain Angry]

2. Nice that the administration is finally going to talk tough about bin Laden.

This is a nice change of pace from:

"I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority."
- G.W. Bush, 3/13/02

"I am truly not that concerned about him."
- G.W. Bush, repsonding to a question about bin Laden's whereabouts,
3/13/02 (The New American, 4/8/02)

(Thanks Buzzflash!)
http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/2002/11/13_Laden.html

[MiniMe]

3. 'incursion', is that the word of the week?

Not an invasion, not an attack, an 'incursion'.

[Hissyspit]

5. Well, it's not polite to use the word 'invasion' until several years

after when it becomes absolutely clear to everyone that we've fucked up.

According to Miss Manners, it will not be appropriate to use the term 'civil war' until several years after we have driven Pakistan into a civil war. Also, avoid the use of the noun 'Vietnam' in any conversation involving U.S. incursions.

It is appropriate to initially wear red, white and blue for the first few months, yellow ribbons for several years after, black is appropriate at all times for the fashion-allergic and reality-addicted.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

6. ah, the reality based color code.

Much better than the one Homeland Scrutiny Assholes concocted.

Frances is rapidly becoming one of my least favorite jerks. I cannot stand that woman, especially when she opens her mouth.

[LiberalFighter]

7. I am so glad she is no longer a career federal employee

That means she can be fired when Bush is gone. She was in the Justice Dept from 1988 to ?2004?

[hatrack]

8. Two wars just AIN'T ENOUGH! Let's double down and go for four!!!

Fucking unbelievable.

[Javaman]

9. and are we going to roll over and watch moron bomb Pakistan or are

we as Americans going to demand impeachment proceedings?

Bah, what was I thinking? it's off the table after all and impeachment would just totally distract from trying get our troops home from Iraq. :sarcasm: