And doesn’t it seriously undercut Pakistan’s President Musharuff who stands but a mere heartbeat between the most radicalized Islamic population in the world and their getting their hands on the A-bomb? Why further weaken such an already precarious, but important lynchpin as Musharuff has proven himself to be for his country and the world?
Or is this really all about someone’s version of strategic balancing that makes sense in ways that only make sense to blockheaded know-it-alls, like old Rummy Rumsfeld, or the finger-in-the-wind, gut-instinct type like our president? For, try to digest this, according to the Financial Times, over 70 F-16 fighters are now slated to be sold to Pakistan, apparently for facesaving purposes for Musharuff.
Why would we do that with mortal enemies — sell one side advanced nuclear technology, while the other side F-16s? Weren’t both countries only a couple years back at loggerheads, close, in fact, to lobbing the A- bomb at one and other?
Given the standard that the Bush administration has set, utilizing gut instincts over intelligence in dealing with potential threats, why would it be wrong now for Pakistan or China to employ their gut take on things with a preemptive strike against India’s nuclear capacity, especially with today’s report in the New York Times of India’s testing a nuclear capable long range missile.
Tim O’Leary
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