WASHINGTON — With two missile strikes over the past week, the Obama administration has expanded the covert war run by the Central Intelligence Agency inside Pakistan, attacking a militant network seeking to topple the Pakistani government.

The missile strikes on training camps run by Baitullah Mehsud represent a broadening of the American campaign inside Pakistan, which has been largely carried out by drone aircraft. Under President Bush, the United States frequently attacked militants from Al Qaeda and the Taliban involved in cross-border attacks into Afghanistan, but had stopped short of raids aimed at Mr. Mehsud and his followers, who have played less of a direct role in attacks on American troops.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/washington/21policy.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=pakistan%20obama&st=cse

Bring 'em home from everywhere. Close all the damn bases and stop trying to police the world. If we became self-sufficient with energy we could do it...and tell 'em all the duke it out on their own and go to hell. Come home America.

This is a case of creeping warhawk/Gates control of our military policy. Colonel Pohl at Guantanamo refusing to stop the 'trials' of the detainees, the military command in Iraq and Gates manipulating the withdrawl to more closely fit the 'plan' leftover from the Bush administration and the unjustified request to leave 50,000 troops in Iraq are examples of the military pushing back against the time-line set by Obama and we the people.

Obama must let the military know that he is the commander-in-chief and tell Gates and the police forces in Iraq that they must get their acts together and prepare to get the hell out of there in the 16 months he promised the voters of America. That should mean all combat troops with only a small group of advisors left to aid and train in Iraq. If Gates and the military can't do their jobs then they must be relieved of their commands. Gates has not served the public good, but he is a fine operating tool for the military-industrial complex. His temporary status was a mistake and he needs to go now.

The cowardly behavior of making this decision public at this time with the hope the announcement will be buried relative to the speech last night will be remembered by his supporters (that's the anti-war supporters in case anyone in the new administration is listening). We can no longer afford Iraq or any other unjustified military adventurisms in the world.

Gee, didn't this guy just talk for 2 years about how he would end this war like...now? What the heck has changed since then? And don't tell me he's being "responsible." Not when this guy blasted every Congressional Democrat for 2 years about their vote on Iraq.

This war is NOT OUR WAR! It's Bushes war and as such there is no obligation at this point to keep it going. Now Obama wants to increase troops in Afghanistan and we haven't heard a strategy about that either.

GET OUT OF IRAQ NOW! Obama: Can you say, "you've been punked?"