Barack Obama: Pakistan and Afghanistan better watch out

Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill) vows to send troops to Pakistan and Afghanistan even without permission.

Barack Obama: Pakistan and Afghanistan better watch out Speaking at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars, Barack Obama decided to take on different approach towards his foreign policy and vowed to chase down terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including a possibility to send additional troops in those countries against the will of their current governments.

"There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al-Qa'eda leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will," Barack Obama said at the Woodrow Wilson.

The tough talk by the Presidential Candidate was the result of the growing tensions between the leading Democrats Obama and Clinton. After Obama's last week remarks that he was willing to sit down and re-establish diplomatic relations with countries such as Iran and Syria, Hillary Clinton called his policy naive and irresponsible. Obviously Mr. Obama was advised that he may appear too soft on terrorism, thus his recent promise to send more troops to Pakistan to battle out terrorist cells of Al Qaeda.

“If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won’t act,” Barack Obama said today, “we will.” The Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf, already survived three assassination attempts since 2003 by Islamic extremists in his own country, has often been accused of turning a blind eye to the terrorist camps deep within Pakistan, while pledging his loyalty to the U.S. government. Obama threatened Pakistan that if he gets the White House and Pakistan fails to deal with the terrorist camps in the country, he would withhold aid America will strike Al Qaeda targets itself.

Afghanistan was also in the speech of the Illinois Senator. Barack Obama's plan for Afghanistan is to send two additional brigades to help fight the terrorists while giving the country extra $1 billion in financial non-military aid.

The online gambling website Bodog Sports is offering odds on who will be chosen as the Democrats' Presidential Nominee, and Barack Obama is still trailing with odds 2/1 behind Hillary Clinton with odds 5/9. Hillary Clinton is also listed with odds on winning the 2008 Presidential Elections at 2/1, compared with Barack Obama at 9/2.

Published on 08/01/2007