| Say what you will about Iraq.No matter what your feelings about war in general, about Bush specifically, about the years since 9/11, remember this: ? In 2001 there was a memo; Bin Laden determined to attack the United States from a safe haven in Afghanistan.Now, 7 years and $700 BILLION later we get a new memo saying; Bin Laden determined to attack the United States from a safe haven somewhere around Afghanistan.? We're right back where we started.We could have gotten here by doing nothing!?Rob Riggle ? ? April 2008, United States Government Accountability Office released a Report to Congressional Requestors titled: ? COMBATING TERRORISM The United States Lacks Comprehensive Plan to Destroy the Terrorist Threat and Close the Safe Haven in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas ? What GAO Found ? The United States has not met its national security goals to destroy terrorist threats and close the safe haven in Pakistan's FATA.Since 2002, the United States relied principally on the Pakistan military to address U.S. national security goals.Of the approximately $5.8 billion the United States provided for efforts in the FATA and border region from 2002 through 2007, about 96 percent reimbursed Pakistan for military operations there.According to the Department of State, Pakistan deployed 120,000 military and paramilitary forces in the FATA and helped kill and capture hundreds of suspected al Qaeda operatives; these efforts cost the lives of approximately 1,400 members of Pakistan's security forces.However, GAO found broad agreement, as documented in the National Intelligence Estimate, State, and embassy documents, as well as Defense officials in Pakistan, that al Qaeda had regenerated its ability to attack the United States and had succeeded in establishing a safe haven in Pakistan's FATA.? No comprehensive plan for meeting U.S. national security goals in the FATA has been developed, as stipulated by the National Strategy for Combating Terrorism (2003), called for by an independent commission (2004), and mandated by congressional legislation (2007).Furthermore, Congress created the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) in 2004 specifically to develop comprehensive plans to combat terrorism.However, neither the National Security Council (NSC), NCTC, nor other executive branch departments have developed a comprehensive plan that includes all elements of national powerdiplomatic, military, intelligence, development assistance, economic, and law enforcement supportcalled for by the various national security strategies and Congress.As a result, since 2002, the U.S. embassy in Pakistan has had no Washington-supported, comprehensive plan to combat terrorism and close the terrorist safe haven in the FATA.In 2006, the embassy, in conjunction with Defense, State, and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and in cooperation with the government of Pakistan, began an effort to focus more attention on other key elements of national power, such as development assistance and public diplomacy, to address U.S. goals in the FATA.However, this does not yet constitute a comprehensive plan.? LINK 1 ? ? Am I hating on Bush?Well, yea!His administration has not achieved a single thing, their inaction in every region around the world has proven to be a disaster!But hey, let's vote for McCain for 4 more years of underachieving, war mongering, life and money wasting, and bold faced lies.? ? Peace, J ? |
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