U.S. Moves Away From Mullen’s Comments

The White House and the U.S. State Department are attempting to back away from Adm. Mike Mullen’s comments last week about Pakistan in an attempt to smooth over the already rocky relationship with Pakistan. When asked by a reporter Wednesday if he agreed that the Haqqani terrorist network is “a veritable arm” of Pakistani intelligence, White House press secretary Jay Carney clarified, “It’s not the language I would use.” Carney’s comments have been echoed by the State Department and other administration officials, as they try to have it both ways—appease Pakistan but still support Mullen up to a point. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that the U.S. is completing “the final formal review” over whether to designate Haqqani as a terrorist network.