Richardson says to cut aid to PakistanDemocratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson said Monday the Bush administration isn't being tough enough in response to the unrest in Pakistan.
He said the administration should stop providing aid to Pakistan unless Pervez Musharraf restores democratic institutions and begins to do more to root out terrorists.
"The administration basically has a weak and ineffectual response," Richardson said, speaking to reporters following a rally Monday.
Musharraf declared a state of emergency over the weekend, bringing more chaos to an already chaotic situation.
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/11/06/news/iowa/8b0b96b571cd27158625738b000c7611.txtfrom Oct. 18: Richardson: Pakistan's Musharraf deserves no helpDES MOINES—Democratic presidential contender Bill Richardson questioned the legitimacy of Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's government today and criticized the Bush administration for coddling him and other "corrupt dictators."
Richardson, the New Mexico governor and former UN ambassador in the Clinton White House who has stressed his diplomatic skills on the campaign trail, contended Bush should instead be helping developing countries on issues involving renewable energy, food assistance and microlending practices.
"I would not give him any assistance," Richardson told reporters after delivering a speech on the global challenges ahead. "I would not give him the kind of assistance we give him unless he does something about the safe havens of the terrorists."But on Thursday, Richardson accused the administration of assisting "dictators like Musharraf in Pakistan" and "helping dictators all over the Middle East" and providing foreign aid to "corrupt dictators that are not helping us."
"He was elected in a way that does not support legitimacy and he should have free and fair elections," Richardson said of Musharraf's Oct. 6 win in Pakistan's parliamentary election for president, which is being challenged.
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2007/10/richardson_pakistans_musharraf.html