Does Obama get all this? I understand the politics here. But as policy, the Bush approach to Pakistan is sheer folly. ~Blake Hounshell

Obviously, I agree wholeheartedly with this point and have been saying the same thing for over a year, but why has there been so little comment on McCain’s apparent endorsement of the same position?  McCain objected to Obama talking about a stupid policy in public, but he did not say during the debate that the policy itself was misguided.  “If you have to do something, you have to do it,” was the philosopher-king’s remark.  Well, you can’t argue with a thing like that–because it isn’t an argument.  McCain said that we should work with Islamabad, but Obama says the same.  Both appear to be committed to perpetuating one of Mr. Bush’s latest great mistakes.