Feinstein's remarks on Predator likely to embarrass Pakistan
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, likely made Pakistan squirm by indicating that the armed, unmanned U.S. drones operating in Pakistan are based there, the Los Angeles Times reports.
For months, Pakistani leaders have criticized the use of Predator-launched CIA missiles against Islamic extremists along the northwest border.
The California Democrat's remarks came during a Congressional hearing in which she expressed surprise over Pakistani opposition to the use of the missiles.
"As I understand it, these are flown out of a Pakistani base," she said.
Philip J. LaVelle, a spokesman for Feinstein, said her comment was based solely on previous news reports that Predators were operated from bases near Islamabad, the newspaper reports.
-----------------------------------------------------------
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2009/02/feinsteins-rema.html
-----------------------------------------------------------
My Thoughts
For being on the Intelligence Committee, what Sen. Feinstein said wasn't that intelligent.
How could she not realize that saying that could cause turmoil and embarrassment in the always volatile Pakistani government? Wouldn't being the leader of the "Intelligence" committee allow her access to that kind of information?
She endangered our relationship with an important ally in the war against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The mood in the country is difficult because there are many Islamic fundamentalists in the country that would not take kindly to their government helping the "Great Satan". It could lower the chances that the Pakistani government will help us in the future with fighting them, if they thought that it would be blabbed by someone in our government.
No comments:
Post a Comment