WASHINGTON–President Obama dramatically announced last night that American ground troops have attacked — at his order — a Taliban base extending 20 miles inside Pakistan.
Obama told a nationwide radio and television audience that he would stand by his order, certain to provoke controversy, even at the risk of becoming a one-term President.
"This is not an invasion of Pakistan," he asserted. 'The areas in which these attacks will be launched are completely occupied and controlled by Taliban forces. Our purpose is not to occupy the areas. Once enemy forces are driven out of these sanctuaries and their military supplies destroyed, we will withdraw."
The attack, commanded by American officers and augmented by units of the Afghan army, began about 7 p.m. EDT, about two hours before Obama address the nation and about one hour before he met with Democratic and Republican leaders of Congress to discuss his decision.
The above is not yet real, but a slightly modified version of a 41 year old piece (pdf) by the Cleveland Plain Dealer about Nixon's announcement of his invasion of Cambodia. The speech may become real though at around the end of this year.
Preparations to attack Pakistan started back in July:
U.S. turns to other routes to supply Afghan war as relations with Pakistan fray
The U.S. military is rapidly expanding its aerial and Central Asian supply routes to the war in Afghanistan, fearing that Pakistan could cut off the main means of providing American and NATO forces with fuel, food and equipment.
…
Today, almost 40 percent of surface cargo arrives in Afghanistan from the north, along a patchwork of Central Asian rail and road routes that the Pentagon calls the Northern Distribution Network. Military planners said they are pushing to raise the northern network’s share to as much as 75 percent by the end of this year.
It seems that those logistic preparations are going well as the U.S. is now starting the next phase, making a public case against Pakistan:
- ISI using Haqqanis for ‘proxy war’: US
- ISI urged attacks on US targets: Officials
- Mullen Asserts Pakistani Role in Attack on U.S. Embassy
- US makes 'all' Pakistan assistance subject to action against Haqqani Network
- U.S. sharpens warning to Pakistan
In what amounts to an ultimatum, administration officials have indicated that the United States will act unilaterally if Pakistan does not comply.
When the logistics are fixed and the public case has been made the invasion can proceed.
Just like today in Pakistan's tribal regions the U.S. was already bombing in Cambodia for quite some time before it invaded. Just like today in Pakistan U.S. special reconnaissance forces were operating in Cambodia months before the ground campaign. Just like today the U.S. was already pulling out soldiers from the primary war area when it invaded the neighboring country.
The invasion of Cambodia destabilized that country and eventually led it fall into the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Somethings comparable, but with nukes involved, could happen in Pakistan.