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.
