John Boehner: U.S. Should ‘Re-Engage' With Pakistan

WASHINGTON -- As some lawmakers call for the United States to cut aid to Pakistan following the death of Osama bin Laden there earlier this month, House Speaker John Boehner said Sunday that the U.S. government should continue to work with Pakistan.
“At this moment in time, we should re-engage and strengthen our relationship with Pakistan, not walk away from it," Boehner said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
After al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan on May 1, some have questioned whether the Pakistan government and military was aware of his presence there. Bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, was near a military academy, and relatively close to the nation’s capital.
White House adviser John Brennan told reporters earlier this month that the location of the compound “raises questions” about whether Pakistan knew bin Laden was in the country.
A number of lawmakers have said the U.S. government should cut or place restrictions on aid to Pakistan in light of bin Laden’s presence in the nation. Those calls have come from both sides of the aisle, including Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.).
But Boehner said that now is not the time to alter relationships with Pakistan, which is considered an ally in the fight against al Qaeda and terrorism.
“We have hundreds of billions of dollars that we’ve spent in Afghanistan and in Pakistan," Boehner said. "We’ve got an awful lot invested here in lives and in treasury. And I think that we need to make sure that we put Afghanistan on a solid foundation before we walk away from there.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/15/john-boehner-pakistan-osama-bin-laden_n_862141.html

Really?  You are calling for us to “reengage” when we haven’t unengaged to begin with.  You want us to “reengage” when we don’t even know the full story yet, as to whether or not Pakistan was hiding Osama Bin Laden.  You want us to have a relationship with a country that may have contributed to the deaths of US soldiers and US citizens.  You want us to continue to pump billions of US tax dollars into a country that seems to be working against us, whose citizens for the most part hate us, and is hardly cooperating in our fight with terrorists.  It is this kind of thinking in Washington that baffles me.  Is it any wonder as to why the fanatics and tyrants laugh, abuse and attempt to take advantage of us?  Once again this is a politician being way out in front of an issue.  We don’t even know the role Pakistan played with Osama Bin Laden or terrorism in general and you want to let bygones be bygones.  John; if this was your own money, would you want to keep funneling it to someone who may be more your enemy than your friend?  Congress has an obligation to the American public.  Spend our money wisely.  What a foolish thing to say, and what a foolish position to take, so early in our investigation.  Are you all idiots in Congress or do you just put the dumb ones in front of the camera’s?