Ohio's Boehner On Pakistan: Our Aid Has Been 'Well Spent'

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- House Republican leader John Boehner has declared himself a leading advocate for sending more military aid to Pakistan's Musharraf. Boehner, an Ohio congressman from Butler County, says the $10 billion already sent to support the war on terror has been "well spent." Others see Musharraf as a questionable ally -- vice President Dick Cheney met with the Pakistani strongman last winter and urged him to take more action against terrorist havens inside Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's tribal areas still remain a haven for al-Qaeda, and the Taliban are destabilizing Afghanistan from bases in Pakistan. The U.S. National Intelligence Estimate issued in July (full text available at the link) warned al-Qaeda has reconstituted itself in Pakistan. The report calls Osama bin Laden's movement once again a serious threat to the U.S. homeland. That report came out prior to the NIE saying that Iran had no active program to develop a nuclear weapon.

Pakistan's Musharraf And The Cleveland Clinic: They Use The Same D.C. Lobbyist

CLEVELAND (TDB) -- Pakistani strongman Gen. Pervez Musharraf suspended the Constitution and declared martial law in a desperate effort to hang onto power in an increasingly unstable Muslim nation that has a small stockpile of atomic weapons. Those events are unfolding a long way from Ohio. But the general's military government does have something in common with several important institutions in this state --it uses the same D.C. lobbying firm, Van Scoyoc Associates Inc. Van Scoyoc registered as a foreign agent for Pakistan and was paid $310,000 for the first six months of 2006, federal records show.

There is another interesting tie between Van Scoyoc and Ohio: U.S. Rep. Steve LaTourette's spouse, Jennifer, is a lobbyist with the company that represented Pakistan. Her name turns up on the company's list of employees here.

The Northeast Ohio Republican, R-14, could find himself in an awkward political spot if the U.S. government cuts off Musharraf, an ally in the war on terror whose declaration of martial law Sunday defied the Bush administration. Washington has sent Pakistan about $10 billion in military aid since 2001, and had been urging Musharraf to move towards democracy. Instead, the general went the other way and began jailing political opponents.

The lobbying firm's Ohio clients are blue chip as this list shows. It includes Bowling Green State University, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation Inc., Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, Hiram College, the University of Akron and the University of Toledo.

Musharraf's government hired Van Scoyoc for legal and other services. The firm reported that it "monitored, advised and evaluated legislative issues and arranged meetings with U.S. Government officials to discuss issues affecting the Government of Pakistan."
.

U.S. CIA Chief Warns Al Qaeda's Pakistan 'Safe Haven' Is Grave Danger To US

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- CIA Director Michael V. Hayden delivered a major address last night before the Council on Foreign Relations about the war on terror. The complete text of his remarks are available here. And perhaps his most chilling words were about Pakistan -- Hayden left no doubt the CIA believes the gravest danger of another terrorist attack against the United States comes from Al Qaeda in Pakistan. He said Al Qaeda has "protected or regenerated" its capabilities from safe havens in that nation's tribal areas. He said "warning about foreign threats to our national security is part of my job."

Hayden did not delve deeply into or question the War in Iraq, which began in 2003 as a military invasion launched by the White House to buffer the nation against foreign terror.

Al Qaeda plotted the 9/11 attacks in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime, then fled to shelter in the mountains of neighboring Pakistan when U.S. forces overthrew the Taliban. American troops were stopped from pursuing Al Qaeda at the border. Now, the CIA director is focusing upon Pakistan as the Islamic country where American intelligence services agree the gravest danger to our homeland exists, the only nation where he said Al Qaeda's "top leadership" continued to operate during the Iraq war.

Hayden said he wanted to "be clear as I can about the danger we face" and here's his summary:

1. "First, our analysts assess with high confidence that al-Qa'ida's central leadership is planning high-impact plots against the US homeland.

2. "Second, they assess -- also with high confidence -- that al'Qaida has protected or regenerated key elements of its homeland attack capability. That means safe haven in the tribal areas of Pakistan, operational lieutenants and a top leadership engaged in planning. Al-Qa'ida's succes with the remaining element -- planting operatives in this country -- is less certain.

3. "Third, we assess -- again, with high confidence -- that al-Qa'ida is focusing on targets that would produce mass casualties, dramatic destruction, and significant economic aftershocks."

New Harris Poll: Pakistan And China Seen As Unfriendly Nations, Probable U.S. Foes

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Illinois U.S Sen. Barack Obama took a thumping from some Democratic rivals and the pundit-ocracy for saying he would launch military attacks on Pakistan. He said armed forces could be used to root out Al Qaeda terrorists hiding in the mountains of that nation. But now there is data showing Obama seems to have a lot of company in the American public, which increasingly views Pakistan as hostile territory rather than a bosom ally.

Harris Interactive released polling data -- ignored in the press and nearly everywhere else -- showing "some general trends" in public opinion over the past three years. Both Pakistan and China, a trading partner with growing economic and military might and a penchant for shipping shoddy products to the U.S., are considered the No. 1 and No. 2 bad guys on the world stage.

"The two most negative responses that could be given about a country in this survey are 'not friendly but not an enemy' and 'unfriendly and an enemy.' The countries which are most widely viewed as not friendly (i.e. countries for which either of these responses are given) are Pakistan (69%), China (63%), Colombia (56%) and Russia (54%).

"It is striking that Pakistan is the country most widely viewed as unfriendly to the United States since it is considered an ally in the fight against the Taliban and Islamic terrorists and we have provided billions of dollars in aid."

Harris added that a "notable finding" was Pakistan's unfavorable rating had risen 20 points, and China's 9 since 2004. The poll of 1,010 adults was conducted July 10-16. Harris said only about 500 were asked about each of the 25 countries on its list.

The survey may have escaped wide notice because it was made public under a headline about nations that were most admired by Americans. No surprise on the list: Canada, Great Britain, Israel, Australia and Japan were described as the nation's best friends.

Obama could have been mining some of the distrust when he went after Pakistan, distrust that probably resonated in some of his own polls. He said Aug. 2, 2007:

"But let me make this clear. There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are planning to strike again. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf will not act, we will."

Obama spoke after reports in July that the U.S. cancelled a raid in 2005 over concerns it would damage relations with Pakistan. Obama called that decision a "terrible mistake." The Chicago Tribune report about his speech is available online. While the Illinois Democrat took criticism for the tough foreign policy statement, it looks like he could have been on solid ground with the public. They clearly don't trust Pakistan -- or China -- according to the Harris data.