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July 15, 2008

Obama Joins Sens. Biden, Lugar on Bill to Triple Pakistan Aid

@ 11:07 am by Chris Good

Barack Obama will announce today that he is co-sponsoring legislation with Sens. Joe Biden (D-Del.) and Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) that would triple non-military U.S. aid to Pakistan.

Obama will highlight his support for the bill, which will be unveiled this morning, in a speech today on national security.

"We must expect more of the Pakistani government, but we must offer more than a blank check to a General who has lost the confidence of his people," Obama states in excerpts pre-released by the campaign. "It’s time to strengthen stability by standing up for the aspirations of the Pakistani people. That’s why I’m cosponsoring a bill with Joe Biden and Richard Lugar to triple non-military aid to the Pakistani people."

Biden and Lugar will unveil their bill at a news conference this morning. It would authorize $7.5 billion to Pakistan over five years to be used for development purposes such as building schools, roads, and medical clinics. It also calls for "greater accountability on security assistance," according to Biden's office, pushing Pakistan to step up its counterterrorism efforts against al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Biden has called for a new approach to U.S.-Pakistani relations, one that seeks to build a relationship with the Pakistan people rather than Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Tripling non-military aid unconditionally, he says, is the first step.

Biden was a leading critic of Obama's Pakistan policy in the early stages of the Democratic primary. The Delaware senator and then-presidential candidate blasted Obama for saying, in an August 2007 speech, that he would attack terrorists in Pakistan with or without its government's consent, if Musharraf failed to act on intelligence.

"It’s not something you talk about," Biden said. "The last thing you want to do is telegraph to the folks in Pakistan plans that threaten their sovereignty."

Biden has since taken on the role of surrogate for Obama's campaign, stumping for Obama in media appearances and promoting Obama's Iraq policy in a conference call with reporters yesterday.

7 Comments »

The Hill welcomes comment from anyone and will almost always post it whether it is favorable or critical, as long as it is substantive and advances debate.
  1. Taking the war to Pakistan is perhaps the most foolish thing America can do. Pakistan has 160 million Arabs and a nuclear arsenol. Pakistan also has the support of China. The last thing the United States should do at this point and time is to violate yet another state’s sovereignty.

    Comment by John Maszka — July 18, 2008 @ 4:20 pm

  2. [...] also renewed his calls for adjustments to policy to Pakistan, calling for an expansion in non-military aid to Pakistan. Graham Usher says Obama "should be careful what he wishes for," as 90% of [...]

    Pingback by Should Obama have gone to Pakistan instead? « John Bracken — July 20, 2008 @ 8:35 pm

  3. John Maszka on July 18, 2008 @ 4:20 pm said "Pakistan has 160 million Arabs". Not all Arabs are Muslims nor all Muslims are Arabs. Pakistan has 97% Muslim population or 165 million Muslims in population of nearly 170 million. In Pakistan we speak Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtu, Balochi, Kashmir, Seraiki, etc. Urdu and English are official languages. Arabic is only taught in religious classes.

    Comment by Arslan Khan — July 31, 2008 @ 4:29 pm

  4. I'm sick of bullshit in comments on websites. There are very, very few Arabs in Pakistan, American already attacks Pakistan, and the connection between Pakistan and China has nothing to do with American policy in the region.

    Comment by Michael Wales — September 12, 2008 @ 5:00 am

  5. Taking the war to Pakistan is also the most unjust and irrational thing the Empire can do. Imperial hubris.

    Comment by nusrat — October 3, 2008 @ 2:51 pm

  6. Dear Arslan,

    My type o has just been pointed out to me. Of course, what you say is correct. My apologies to you and all my Pakistani friends. I meant to emphasize Pakistan's large presence in the region. (My fingers must have gotten ahead of my brain).

    Sincerely,

    John Maszka

    Comment by John Maszka — March 13, 2009 @ 10:16 pm

  7. WHO SAID OBAMA WAS NOT MUSLIM…..

    ALL THE AID HE GIVE PAKISTAN WILL BE USED BY ISI TO FUND TALIBAN AND FUND TERRORISM IN INDIA…

    HE IS IS ANTI-DEMOCRACY, MUSLIM SOLIALIST AT HEART…PERIOD

    Comment by Mike — June 16, 2009 @ 10:27 pm

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