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Town Hall Debate - Pakistan: Should the U.S. pursue al-Qa...

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Uploaded by on Oct 7, 2008

http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/vidLink.php?b=1223431703&e=12234321...

Question: Should the United States respect Pakistani sovereignty and
not pursue al Qaeda terrorists who maintain bases there, or should we
ignore their borders and pursue our enemies, like we did in Cambodia
during the Vietnam War?


SEN. OBAMA: Well, Katie, it's a terrific question.
And we have a difficult situation in Pakistan. I believe that
part of the reason we have a difficult situation is because we made a
bad judgment going into Iraq in the first place when we hadn't
finished the job of hunting down bin Laden and crushing al Qaeda.


So what happened was we got distracted, we diverted resources, and
ultimately bin Laden escaped, set up base camps in the mountains of
Pakistan in the northwest provinces there.
They are now raiding our troops in Afghanistan, destabilizing the
situation. They're stronger now than at any time since 2001. And
that's why I think it's so important for us to reverse course because
that's the central front on terrorism. They are plotting to kill
Americans right now. As Secretary Gates, the Defense secretary, said,
the war against terrorism began in that region, and that's where it
will end.
So part of the reason I think it's so important for us to end the
war in Iraq is to be able to get more troops into Afghanistan, put
more pressure on the Afghan government to do what it needs to do,
eliminate some of the drug trafficking that's funding terrorism.
But I do believe that we have to change our policies with
Pakistan. We can't coddle, as we did, a dictator, give him billions
of dollars, and then he's making peace treaties with the Taliban and
m

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Top Comments

  • Did McCain say "we.. um..freedom fighters" chased out the Russians? And then say the Taliban came "back in"?

    So when the US is training them to counter the Russians they are "Freedom Fighters" and when the break off their leash they are the dreaded Taliban.

    You can always count on politicians for crazy double talk.

  • Interesting, too that McCain keeps bringing up Afghanistan and Russia in the same breath as his wonderful surge but never tells you why the two are connected. You see, the surge is a strategy by which we arm and train the insurgents (our enemies) to help us fight the other insurgents for a quick victory. Doesn't anyone remember that the US trained and armed Bin Laden in order to defeat Russia in Afghanistan? Bin Laden was our Frankenstein. Right now, we're training future Bin Ladens in Iraq.

see all

All Comments (14)

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  • i don't know you usa devil on

  • fuck u u.s.a

  • Did Obama get back into the Delorean after saying this and go back to May 1, 2011. Pretty much nailed exactly what would happen while McCain sounds like someone's rambling Grandpa, see also W.

  • tonylee, looks like you live in some great cocoon. Pakistan has a neckhold on Nato. Without pakistan you cann never have access to Afghanistan. All they have to do is stop Nato supplies and the taliban will eat nato up like a sweet cake.

  • Why don't we put a blockade on Pakistan? A Naval blockade. No food no gasoline, no medicine, and if necassary fire bombe some cities. Work with the russians instead of antaganizing them (they have no love fore al quida) and mess these people up.

  • They are creating more bin ladin's

  • fuck U.S

  • all hot guys reading this hit me up on MSN Messenger ID jane22fall im bored xD 7

  • Obama won. He is right to invade and bomb Pakistan. McCain is a pussy.

    We will win 2009 Pakistan war

    Obama for President

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