‘President Bush secretly approved orders in July that for the first time allow American Special Operations forces to carry out ground assaults inside Pakistan without the prior approval of the Pakistani government,’ the New York Times reported Thursday.

The order came after the administration grew increasingly concerned about the growing power of Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan’s tribal areas.

Members organizations frequently traveled into Afghanistan where they attacked both Western and Afghan targets.

Additionally, American officials believed the Pakistani military and intelligence agencies could no longer be trusted. Several operations about which the Pakistanis were informed were compromised in recent years.

The NYT climed that several senior American officials informed the newspaper about the secret order.

“The situation in the tribal areas is not tolerable,” one such official said. “We have to be more assertive. Orders have been issued.”

President George W. Bush did not talk with the Pakistani government before issuing the order, neither will, officials said, the U.S. government ask for permission. The raids are considered necessary, so necessary even that America is willing to operate in the territory of a (nominal) ally.

Pakistan’s top army official responded forcefully to the reports.His could would not, he said, allow ‘American incursions like the one that took place last week and,’ he added, ‘the army would defend the country’s sovereignty “at all costs.”’

Earlier this year Barack Obama was criticized by others after he publicly said he believed the United States should attack the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Pakistan, whether or not the Pakistani government would agree to such attacks.Now, it seems, George W. Bush is doing exactly what many of his fellow Republicans criticized Obama for. After all, it was said, Pakistan is an ally. You can’t just ignore the wishes of your ally and attack targets inside its borders without permission.

To a degree the comparison is correct, and to a degree it is not. Obama did indeed say the U.S. should conduct military raids in Pakistan… and him publicly saying it was exactly the problem. Even if you would conduct such raids, you should not speak about it publicly and thereby spitting your ally in the face, right in front of everyone to see. Bush himself, for instance, is not announcing his order on public television. Neither should Obama have done so.

However, although the United States may very well feel hopeless about the border region, the main criticism leveled against Obama months ago is still valid. Attacking targets within the borders of an important ally, without the permission of said ally, could quickly turn into a diplomatic disaster. As it was once stated by a rather famous author / thinker, he who treats his allies and enemies alike is a fool for he will lose the former and embolden the latter.