Senator McCain, visiting Pakistan, seeks better ties in Islamist fight

[uawchild]

Source: Reuters

U.S. Senator John McCain said on Sunday he would like relations between United States and Pakistan to improve as they have a common enemy in the Islamic State and other radical Islamist groups.

Relations between Pakistan and United States have been frayed over the past decade, with U.S. officials frustrated by what they term Islamabad's unwillingness to act against Islamist groups such as the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network.

Pakistan rejects harboring militants but says there are limits to how much it can do as it is already fighting multiple Islamist groups and is wary of "blowback" in the form of more terror attacks on its soil.

McCain, visiting Pakistan as part of a U.S. delegation, said he had an "excellent meeting" with Pakistani foreign ministry officials.

"We come back with a message that we have a common enemy in ISIS, radical Islam and terrorism, and we look forward to closer relations and resolving the differences we have," McCain told Pakistan's national PTV channel.

Relations between United States and Pakistan were tested again in May by a U.S. drone strike that killed Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour on Pakistani soil.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-usa-idUSKCN0ZJ0OL

[uawchild]

1. Johnie Johnie Johnie...

Does McCain realize that the Taliban itself was a creation of Pakistans ISI (Iter-Service Inteligence agency)?

Pakistan is trying to project influence further into central Asia, in part by using the Pushtan population in Pakistan and the related Pushtans in Afghanistan as proxies.

McCain is just unbelievably naive.

[physioex]

2. Arguably one of the most corruput and dangerous regimens on the planet......

Wish him well....LOL

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. regimens?

Do you mean regimes? Which regime are you referring to?

Do you mean specimen?

[Mika]

3. Stagecraft.

Of course he knows. It's not Pakistan that's projecting, it's the US using Pakistan as its proxy.
I want the redacted 28 pages to be released.

[demosincebirth]

13. McCain has got to do something that looks important to straighten his sagging poll numbers back

home in Arizona.

[MariaThinks]

14. true. and so are a lot of people

Pakistan will always talk from two sides of their mouth. While paying lip service to stopping radicalization, they will support their terrorist training schools.

[iandhr]

4. Pakistan is probably one of the larger if not the largest...

... state sponsors of terrorism. Their intelligence service train the terrorists who were behind the Mumbai attacks. And I'd be willing to wager that many senior officials new exactly where Bin Laden was hiding.

[BlueNoMatterWho]

5. McCain is a disaster. Death and destruction wherever he goes.

[yeoman6987]

7. I guess you prefer bombing.

I think since that hasn't worked let's try talking. I know not exciting.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

12. Yes, talking is good, but McCain does not talk for the USA. He's bumbled stuff before too. nt

[MariaThinks]

15. Talking is what allowed bin laden to stay 'hidden' in public in pakistan

while they were supposedly looking for him

[keithbvadu2]

6. "seeks better ties" with whom?

Will he be meeting with terrorists like he did with ISIS?

[TonyPDX]

8. He gave us Palin. I no longer care about his perspective. n/t

[left-of-center2012]

9. Is McCain still blaming Obama for Orlando? n/t

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. McCain is not empowered to conduct US foreign policy. McCain is not empowered to conduct US military

McCain is not empowered to conduct US foreign policy.

And McCain is not empowered to conduct US military policy.

Whatever happened to the old Republican (and Democratic) mantra: Foreign policy debate stops at the water's edge?

[former9thward]

16. McCain is the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

The Constitution (Article I, Section 8) gives far more power to Congress over the military than to the Executive Branch. Nothing happens in the military without going through the Armed Services Committee.

Foreign policy stopping at the water' edge has long been dead. When Pelosi was House speaker she went to meet with Assad in Syria over thee protests of the Bush Administration.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401351.html

[forest444]

17. ISIS John strikes again.