It was a very hard choice, but Peter Bergen has givenÂ ourÂ killing by remote controlÂ a grudging thumbs up (Pakistan drone war takes a toll on militants — and civilians, CNN, Oct. 29, 2009).Â

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Not only do theÂ drone attacks “consistently” killÂ civilians,Â they also prompt blowback, but as that blowback has yet to reach U.S. shores, well,Â the price in Pakistani blood–he thinksÂ the price is worth it.

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UnderÂ Obama, weÂ tried to getÂ Baitullah MehsudÂ fifteen times “but he still didn’t see it coming.”Â Yep, killing the Pakistani Taliban’s leaderÂ (and “one of his wives and her father”) in August was the landmark success,Â ding dong, the witch isÂ dead, never mind the concerns expressed when the new leader surfaced that he was “far more dangerous and unpredictable” (Hakimullah behind current wave of terror, The News, Oct. 17, 2009).Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

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It’s not logical I realize, but I expected better from Bergen given thatÂ he had recognizedÂ the 9/11 attacks as blowback (Prophet of Evil, Washington Post, Nov. 11, 2001).