The Candidates on U.S.-Pakistan Policy

After Bhutto's assassination, McCain said as president he would immediately meet with the National Security Council to find "maintain order, or restore order, whichever is the case in Pakistan" (CBS).

McCain criticized the Pakistani government's peace agreement with Islamic militants in the Waziristan province in December 2006. "The attacks from that area have increased, and we think that unless there is some dramatic change, that we will continue to see those increases," McCain said (AP).

In 2001, McCain cosponsored the Pakistan Emergency Economic Development and Trade Support Act. The bill, which never passed, was aimed at easing textile trade with Pakistan as a means of bolstering its economy and government.

Ron Paul 
Rep. Paul (R-TX) opposes U.S. aid to Pakistan's government. In 2005, he criticized the granting of $638 million in aid to Pakistan as unconstitutional.

In December 2007, Paul criticized the U.S. alliance with Pakistan as a provocation to al-Qaeda. He also criticized those advocating military action against terrorists in Pakistan. Threatening Pakistan "makes no sense whatsoever," he said at an August 2007 Republican debate.

Mitt Romney 
Romney says the United States should try to bolster moderate forces in Pakistan to prevent "radical jihadists" from taking power.

At an August 2007 Republican debate, Romney criticized Obama's plan to enter Pakistan with "actionable intelligence" to pursue al-Qaeda. Obama "says he wants to unilaterally go in and potentially bomb a nation which is our friend," said Romney. "We're trying to strengthen Musharraf. We're trying to strengthen the foundations of democracy and freedom in that country so that they will be able to reject the extremists."