Nuclear Terrorism

Obama is asked first...

Gibson says he outlines the Bush doctrine...

"Here we have the situation where Al Q has killed 3000 Americans is in the territory of Pakistan ... we know that... my job as commander in chief will be to make sure that we strike anyone who would do America harm.."

Edwards agrees...says the policy now is "ad hoc" and pledges a long-term international initiative to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

Richardson says to a skeptical Charlie Gibson that he would ask Musharrif to step aside. "I would make it unmistakably clear that he would have to have elections." ... "Diplomacy is to try to get what's best for the United States."

Wow -- HRC uses her husband's failed strike at Pakistan in 1998 as a reason why caution should be exercised in this affair...but gives a very sophisticated answer about the interrelationship between insecure weapons and India's fears.

The flaw of the Bush doctrine, Obama says, is that Iraq distracts from the war on terror. More..."Iraq....Iraq....Iraq..."

Comments

HRC was asked last. Why? Because she can get a sense of what others are saying. She referred to Richardson, who had the worse of all responses. Why suck to to Richardson.

Before the debate started, Diana S. and George Step-On-All-US were so pro-HRC that I had to puke.

Posted by eorse | January 5, 2008 9:16 PM

Hillary seems extra dry tonight. Very studious and withdrawn.

Liveblog...
http://political-buzz.com/2008/01/05/abc-new-hampshire-democratcic-debate-liveblog/

Posted by matt | January 5, 2008 9:16 PM

I didn't catch what Hillary said, but am wondering what's this "failed strike at Pakistan" you (she?) refer to. There was a 1998 strike at Afghanistan (and Sudan).

Posted by Ken Silber | January 5, 2008 9:31 PM

Was that just Hillary Clinton's "Dean scream" moment?

Posted by Ben | January 5, 2008 9:36 PM

Umm, what failed strike at Pakistan is HRC referring to? Could someone enlighten us? This is either big news or HRC mixed up Afghanistan with Pakistan.

Posted by doc75 | January 5, 2008 11:34 PM

What did you expect? That Hillary Clinton, one of the smartest most thoughtful persons in Washington would simply forget the history of her husbands time in the White House.

Your surprise at her candor is telling. You expect politicians to be as phoney as you are.

Posted by ken | January 6, 2008 12:50 AM

doc75 asks what "strike at Pakistan" HRC is referring to. Didn't some of the missiles aimed for Afghanistan in 1998 hit in Pakistan? And wasn't Pakistan rather angry? Could she mean this?

Posted by realtat | January 6, 2008 6:01 AM

Actually, this is what Hillary said. She never said Pakistan.
>>
SEN. CLINTON: Well, I think it's important to get back to your question, because obviously that's the most direct threat to the United States. We did take action similar to what has been described about 10 years ago based on what was thought to be actionable intelligence, sending in missiles to try to target bin Laden and his top leadership, who were thought to be at a certain meeting place. They were not taken out at the time. So we have to be very conscious of all the consequences.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/05/us/politics/05text-ddebate.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin

Posted by Ken Silber | January 6, 2008 7:39 AM

http://www.cnn.com/US/9808/20/us.strikes.01/

U.S. missiles pound targets in Afghanistan, Sudan
August 20, 1998
Web posted at: 5:53 p.m. EDT (2153 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Saying "there will be no sanctuary for terrorists," President Clinton on Thursday said the U.S. strikes against terrorist bases in Afghanistan and a facility in Sudan are part of "a long, ongoing struggle between freedom and fanaticism."

His comments were broadcast live from the White House shortly after he arrived in Washington from his vacation in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

American cruise missiles pounded sites in Afghanistan and Sudan Thursday in retaliation for the August 7 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

U.S. officials say the six sites attacked in Afghanistan were part of a network of terrorist compounds near the Pakistani border that housed supporters of Saudi millionaire Osama bin Laden.

Posted by Robert R. | January 6, 2008 8:56 AM

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE0D91E3DF930A1575BC0A96E958260

AFTER THE ATTACKS: IN PAKISTAN
Estimates of Toll in Afghan Missile Strike Reach as High as 50

By BARRY BEARAK
Published: August 23, 1998
...
--------------------
Intelligence Chief Dismissed

LAHORE, Pakistan, Aug. 22 (Agence France-Presse) -- Pakistan today dismissed its intelligence chief, Chaudhry Manzoor, for issuing information that a United States missile had hit Pakistani soil on Thursday and killed six people, officials said. The Pakistani Government retracted the statement..

Posted by Robert R. | January 6, 2008 9:03 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babur_missile

Babur missile
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

...

In 1998, six Tomahawk cruise missiles fired at Taliban bases in Afghanistan by US destroyers mis-fired and landed in Pakistan. It is speculated that Pakistan seized upon the opportunity to reverse-engineer the Tomahawk and develop its own prototype. The propulsion system appears to approximate that of Tomahawk according to video of its launch.[4] However, there is no confirmation of this, and the Pakistani missile development company, NESCOM has rejected this theory. Some members of NESCOM have come out saying, off the record, that Pakistan has been working on cruise missiles since 1995.

Posted by Robert R. | January 6, 2008 9:04 AM

Richardson did it right when he said that musharraf should step down, but he completely blew it when he put the united states in a position to determine diplomatically the future of the entire pakistani country.

Clinton could be reffering to Clinton's response to pakistani nuclear tests, in 1998.
While clinton also condemned india for making those tests at the same time, and tried to soften up against pakistan, sanctions were applied and he was more vocal on bashing at pakistan than with india.

Posted by Hugo | January 6, 2008 10:27 AM

Either Hillary Clinton mistakenly referred to Pakistan, or Marc Ambinder screwed up by mis-representing her remarks.

If the former, Marc needs to quote what Clinton said. If the latter, he needs to issue a correction on this site ASAP; especially since this has been instalinked.

Any attempt to rationalize Marc's error after the fact -- eg, a missile accidentally landing in Pakistan, or post-nuclear test sanctions -- is lame and pathetic.

Posted by Robert R. | January 6, 2008 11:05 AM

PS - Just think how stupid some people are going to sound when they say something like "Hillary Clinton referred to her husband's failed strike at Pakistan in 1998," and are easily and properly ridiculed for confusing Afghanistan and Pakistan.

This meme needs to be killed, and now, before it spreads any further.

Posted by Robert R. | January 6, 2008 11:13 AM