It is becoming almost a foregone conclusion that al-Qaeda’s brain trust us held up in the Waziristan region of Pakistan, based on reporting such as this:

AL-QAEDA’S safe haven on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border is still almost inpenetrable to NATO forces.

And US intelligence chiefs feel the mountain region inhabited by tribes loyal to Osama bin Laden may never give up the terror mastermind and his allies.

Pakistani operations against militants have had only a slight effect on cross-border movement as ancient bloodlinked people who never trust strangers allow suicide bombers and Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters through to attack NATO troops in the area called Waziristan.

…

Meanwhile, Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf has deployed more troops to Waziristan, taking his military strength to 100,000.

But top US intelligence analyst Edward Gistaro stressed: “Al-Qaeda is now in a part of Pakistan that is largely inaccessible even to Pakistani forces.”

Clearly Pakistani forces are going to have some troubles handling this on their own, even though Musharraf is mobilizing his forces. But al-Qaeda’s leaders, being those responsible for 9-11, are not a target we can simply walk away from. I am sure we will provide any support Musharraf needs, he has been a good ally since 9-11. One of our most important. And this has been no small effort since he presides over a powder keg of islamic extremism. But with that said, this nation’s leaders promised to bring those behind 9-11 to justice.

Which is why Hillary Clinton just exposed the true ambivalence of the Democrat party regarding the attacks on this nation 6 years ago this September. President Bush has been applying pressure on Pakistan and surely offering support. But he has never said he would not attack al-Qaeda’s top leaders if they were detected in Pakistan. He knows better. Hillary has found, in the same style as her husband, an excuse to let the masterminds of al-Qaeda stay free and alive to plot against us:

US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has said if America sends its troops to the tribal region, they should go with Pakistani troops and not on their own.

At a fund-raising dinner arranged for her by the National Association of Pakistani-Americans, she rejected the suggestion by some US officials and lawmakers that the United States should conduct unilateral military operations in the tribal region to destroy alleged Al Qaeda and Taliban safe havens.

Such a move, she said, would not produce the desired results and would create new problems. Only a combined effort by the Pakistani and US troops could destroy militant hideouts in the area, she added.

This brings back memories of the reasons Bill Clinton stayed our hand when he had Osama Bin Laden in our sights prior to 9-11. Many times Clinton could have revenged the initial attacks on the WTC and our Embassies, but he and his advisers got cold feet because they did not want to deal with the political backlash. That hesitation allowed the planning for 9-11 to proceed to its deadly conclusion. In demonstrating that same hesitancy Hillary has shown that the paralysis of the left in making the hard decisions still exists. She went to pander to Pakistanis and ended up exposing the fact she is, and can never be, Commander In Chief. She hesitated already. She established the excuse not to act. Very Clintonian: all excuse (a.k.a. spin) and no action.