With Friends Like Pakistan...

I'd say this makes Pakistan a more imminent threat than Iran.

If he is in Pakistan, bin Laden "would not be taken into custody," Major General Shaukat Sultan Khan told ABC News in a telephone interview, "as long as one is being like a peaceful citizen."

Bin Laden is believed to be hiding somewhere in the tribal areas of Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border, but U.S. officials say his precise location is unknown.

In addition to the pullout of Pakistani troops, the "peace agreement" between Pakistan and the Taliban also provides for the Pakistani army to return captured Taliban weapons and prisoners.

"What this means is that the Taliban and al Qaeda leadership have effectively carved out a sanctuary inside Pakistan," said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, the former White House counter-terrorism director.

Oh, and Pakistan already has The Bomb.

We can fight it all we want but I have a hard time believing it's going to make that much of a difference if Iran goes nuclear. How much less safe will we be? The genie is out of the bottle, whether it's black market Soviet nukes or Pakistani nukes or North Korean nukes.

Not saying we shouldn't try to stop Iran... just that we shouldn't kid ourselves that it's the end-all - be-all of our safety.

Update 9/6/06: Misquoted?