Obama Gets Tough on Pakistan

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Barak Obama's threat to attack al Qaeda in Pakistan has made that country an issue in the presidential campaign. Is it time to get tough with President Pervez Musharraf? Does the possible blowback include demands for a new country for ethnic Pashtuns--carved out of Pakistan and Afghanistan? Also, an update on the Minneapolis bridge collapse and, on Reporter's Notebook, liberal bloggers flex their political muscles at the DailyKos convention.

Making News

Estimate of Number Missing Lowered in Bridge Collapse ()

In Minneapolis, the death toll from Wednesday's bridge collapse has risen to five, as rescue workers continue to search the swirling waters of the Mississippi River. The number of missing has been reduced from 30 to eight. Curt Brown reports for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Guests:

Curt Brown: Reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune

Main Topic

American Presidential Politics and Pakistan ()

Illinois Senator Barack Obama made headlines in the US and across the world this week. As President, he said, he would launch military strikes in northwestern Pakistan under certain conditions. His Democratic opponents and Pakistan's government have denounced that idea, but for different reasons. With Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda rebuilding in that region, is it time to get tough with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf? We hear more about Musharraf's political troubles and his reliability as an American ally. Has tough action—in Pakistan as well as Afghanistan—already had unintended consequences, including demands by ethnic Pashtuns for their own country?

Guests:

Richard Wolffe: Senior White House Correspondent for Newsweek
Talat Masood: Military and political analyst
Stephen Cohen: Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution
Selig Harrison: Director of the Asia Program at the Center for International Policy

Reporter's Notebook

Democratic Heavy Hitters Court Bloggers at Kos Conference ()

Four years ago, just one presidential candidate showed up at the convention of liberal bloggers called by Daily Kos.com. At this week's convention, which is sold out with 1500 registered guests and 250 credentialed reporters, there will be seven, including Hillary Clinton, who's been defending Daily Kos against attacks from the right wing. Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean told the opening session, "What you have done… is to set this country on the path of restoring the democracy that George Bush and the Republicans have tried to undermine." Peter Leyden, director of the New Politics Institute, is attending the convention.

Guests:

Peter Leyden: Director of the New Politics Institute

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