Is Pakistan, according to my buddy Steve Schippert.

Weekly Standard:

Pakistan certainly has elements which pose a threat of future (and current) acts of terror. However, the unsettling potential convergence of Pervez Musharraf and an assassin’s bullet or bomb is all that separates a developed nuclear arsenal from these developed international terrorist networks. Should this happen to a steadily weakening Musharraf, it could give rise to the envisioned Islamist-run power in place of the current Islamic State of Pakistan, perhaps led by former ISI chief and Osama bin Laden friend, Hamid Gul.

The same Pakistani intel honcho who tipped off Bin Laden to inbound American cruise missiles in 1998:

GUL’S SUPPORT of the Taliban has been longstanding and his admiration for bin Laden open. The 9/11 Commission Report stated that after the August 1998 cruise missile strike that “missed bin Laden by a few hours,” Washington officials “speculated that one or another Pakistani official might have sent a warning to the Taliban or bin Laden.” The Christian Science Monitor was more specific, reporting that in the Commission’s meetings “[e]vidence emerged” that “former Pakistani intelligence chief, Hamid Gul, forewarned bin Laden of the 1998 missile strikes so that he was able to escape.” Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Gul said that “God will destroy the U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan and wherever it will try to go from there.” Calling U.S. actions a “war against Muslims,” he added, “Let’s destroy America wherever its troops are trapped.” Gul, known as the “Godfather of the Taliban” for his role in their creation and support while head of the ISI from 1987 to 1989, is also said to be friends with Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader.

Curious, I asked Steve to elaborate on Gul’s current influence in the Pakistani military/intelligence establishment. I think the specific question was “is Gul still in the game?”

Steve replied: “dude, ISI chiefs never leave the game. He is quite possibly the most influential man in Pakistan.”

Bad news bears.

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