Partnerships With Af-Pak Beyond Just The War

This was a noteworthy point from President Obama in his joint appearance at the White House with Presidents Hamid Karzai and Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday:

The United States has made a lasting commitment to defeat al-Qaeda, but also to support the democratically-elected sovereign governments of both Pakistan and Afghanistan. That commitment will not waver and that support will be sustained.

Those are the stated goals of both the Senate and the House Pakistan funding bills: expanding trade and other ties beyond just providing money for the war effort.

Firedoglake has the video (after the jump):