In 2007, Barack Obama famously
said, "If we have actionable intelligence about high-value
terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will."
Today we
learn that a series of missile strikes in Pakistan that
killed at least 20 are suspected to have been carried out by the
U.S., though the Obama administration
has its lips sealed.
If true, it would certainly fit a pattern for Obama, given that
the strikes occured just a day after his orders to close
Guantanamo Bay within a year and tighten restrictions on
interrogation methods. Remember that his statement about striking
terrorist targets in Pakistan came on the heels of his
declaration that he would meet unconditionally with leaders of
Iran and other hostile regimes. Maybe this is what we can expect
from Obama -- any move to the left on national security will
be followed by action to reassure hawks that he isn't
keeping his eye off the ball in the fight against terrorism.
