By Jay Sekulow
The left's outrage over the IRS turns to a plea to 'move on'
Nawaz Sharif, a two-time former prime minister who has talked about ending Pakistan's role in the U.S.-led war against terrorism, was set to win a third term as the South Asian nation's leader on Sunday.
A Pakistani government spokesman said a bomb exploded and killed at least 14 at a pro-Taliban campaign rally on Monday.
For the first time, a top Pakistani government official has publicly admitted that the United States was sanctioned to carry out drone strikes to root out suspected terrorists.
The major candidates to become Pakistan's next prime minister oppose American drone strikes on Islamic extremists in their country, which bodes ill for the U.S. policy after Pakistan's historic parliamentary elections in May.
Afghan security personnel attacks against U.S. and NATO troops rose sharply last year despite a NATO command overhaul of how local army and police recruits are screened.
The former U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, who resigned abruptly last year, is calling for Washington and Islamabad to break the "tyranny of negative narratives" and wage a stronger fight against terrorism and corruption in the strategic but unstable South Asian nation.
Sen. Lindsey Graham on Sunday said the United States must have "all options on the table" to deal with growing concerns about official Pakistani support of terrorism.
American ambassadors celebrated Independence Day from the tranquility of the Bahamas to the front line in the war on terrorism in Afghanistan, where U.S. soldiers are sacrificing their lives for a government that calls them "occupiers."
The Mexican ambassador compared rival Mexican drug gangs responsible for 35,000 deaths to businessmen pursing "hostile takeovers," as he complained about U.S. attempts to label murderous cartels as terrorists.
Pakistan's most prominent - and vocal - retired army chiefs are demanding that the country's air force be ordered to shoot down drones and helicopters - and increasingly angry active-duty officers are voicing their approval in off-the-record conversations with Pakistani journalists.
The closure of a key supply route for coalition forces in Afghanistan, a spate of attacks on NATO fuel tankers and criticism of U.S. drone strikes are fueling frustration in Congress over Pakistan's performance as an ally in the war against militants.
The world hurts, America responds. Recent floods in Pakistan have killed at least 1,500 people and affected millions more. The United States is rushing aid to the scene, and hopefully this time the people of Pakistan will remember who their friends are.
THURMONT, Md. — President Bush said yesterday that the United States and Pakistan, if armed with "actionable intelligence," could take out al Qaeda leaders, but he did not say whether he would ask permission from the Pakistani president before sending U.S. troops into that nation.
