Edwards says he'd attack targets in Pakistan
By GLENN BLAIN
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: September 8, 2007)
Presidential hopeful John Edwards yesterday became the second Democratic candidate this summer to say he would not be bashful about attacking terror targets in Pakistan.
During a speech on terrorism at Pace University in Manhattan, Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina, promised, if elected, to take a harder line with Pakistan and, if necessary, take action inside its borders without permission.
"I want to be clear about one thing: If we have actionable intelligence about imminent terrorist activity and the Pakistan government refuses to act, we will," Edwards said during what his campaign billed as a major policy address.
Edwards' comment seemed to echo one made early last month by rival Democrat Barack Obama, who said: "If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President (Pervez) Musharraf will not act, we will."
Obama's comments were criticized by Republicans and even some Democrats. In response to Obama's remarks, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said: "You shouldn't always say everything you think if you are running for president, because it has consequences around the world."
Clinton's presidential campaign declined to comment on Edwards' remarks yesterday.
Obama's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Clinton, meanwhile, attended a $100-per-ticket fundraiser in Rye Brook yesterday. The breakfast event, which was closed to the media, attracted about 500 people, including many of the region's top Democrats.
"She was more relaxed than I've ever seen her," said Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano, who introduced Clinton to the audience. "I really enjoyed listening to her. She just covered the whole gamut in a short period of time."
In his speech, Edwards blasted the Bush administration for mishandling the war on terrorism and using the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as a pretense to launch the invasion of Iraq. Bush' policies, he said, had made the nation less safe.
"Today, terrorism is worse in Iraq, and it's worse around the world," Edwards said. "It means the results are in on George Bush's so-called global war on terror, and it's not just a failure, it's a double-edged failure."
The candidate also criticized many of the Republicans in the race for president and "some running for the Democratic nomination" for accepting the Bush administration's arguments that the nation is safer than it was before Sept. 11, 2001.
Edwards called for the creation of an international organization to fight terrorism - the Counterterrorism and Intelligence Treaty Organization - and promised initiatives to eliminate the so-called breeding grounds of terrorism by promoting global economic development, education and reduction of poverty.
"We need a long-term strategy to win the minds of those who are not yet our enemies, by offering education, democracy, opportunity in place of radicalism, hatred and fear," Edwards said.
Republicans scoffed at Edwards' remarks.
"John Edwards is probably more qualified to lecture on hair-care products than he is on national security," said Summer Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee.
Edwards says he'd attack targets in Pakistan
