In “Clinton: It’s OK If Pakistan Lets Anti-American Terror Attacks Be Planned There As Long as NY Street Vendors Stop Them,” Barry Rubin skewers Hillary Clinton’s — and Obama’s — dhimmitude and wishful thinking regarding Pakistan:
After ascertaining that the Times Square bomber had connections with the Pakistani Taliban, secretary of State Hillary Clinton was asked about her view of Pakistan’s cooperation. She responded:
“This is a threat that we share. We have a common enemy. There is no time to waste going after that common enemy.” She would not criticize Pakistan and in fact said, “I have to stand up for the effort that the Pakistani government is taking….We’ve gotten more cooperation and it’s been a real sea change” in their efforts.
But the tip-offs are the phrases about how effective the Pakistani government is being against terrorists “in their own country” and about a “threat that we share.” In other words, as I’ve previously pointed out, the Pakistani government fights against terrorists that want to overthrow it (Pakistani Taliban) but not against those who merely want to kill Indians (several Pakistani-backed groups) or Americans (al-Qaida, Afghan Taliban).
Let me underline this point. The Pakistani government may act regarding threats that “we share,” but does not regard al-Qaida and the Afghan Taliban–in contrast to the Pakistani Taliban–as threats to itself.
It is hardly surprising that Pakistan would struggle against those who want to bring down its own government, line up its leaders against the wall, and shoot them. But how much help is U.S. aid buying against those who aren’t targeting Pakistan or are even cooperating with the regime there? Not much….