FORGET IRAN.

FORGET IRAN. How about a CIA proxy war in Pakistan? That's what the Washington Post's David Ignatius suggests the United States do to root out al-Qaeda factions in the northwest Pakistani province of Waziristan.

Intervening in another Muslim country is risky, to put it mildly. That's why a successful counterinsurgency program would need Pakistani support and why its economic and social development components would be critical ... The United States can begin to take action now against al-Qaeda's new haven. Or we can wait, and hope that we don't get hit again. The biggest danger in waiting is that if retaliation proves necessary later, it could be ill-planned and heavy-handed -- precisely what got us in trouble in Iraq.

But doesn't evidence show that all Bush administration military interventions are ill-planned and heavy-handed? I continue to be amazed by national security experts who would place any trust in this president.

--Dana Goldstein