My e-mail to my senator: Dear Sen. Warner, Shortly after the Osama bin Laden shooting story broke I composed and sent you an e-mail suggesting that the billions of dollars that the United States gives to Pakistan needs to be ended, given that it is clear they are harboring our worst enemies. (In fact, given that we are functionally broke, why are we giving money away to other nations at all? Surely this is an obvious target for drastic government cuts.) I just got the form e-mail below from you. PAKISTAN. The subject is PAKISTAN, not Libya. Please assure me your staff pays more attention to the contents of bills on the Senate floor than they do the content of constituent e-mails... Wes Clark ----------- Dear Mr. Clark, Thank you for contacting me about the situation in Libya. Millions of people around the world have been inspired by the events unfolding across the Middle East, though many remain concerned about the future direction of this region. It is my firm belief that long-term stability and prosperity will follow from governments that are more responsive to the legitimate demands of their people, and refrain from violence. The crimes committed by the Qaddafi regime against its own people are reprehensible and inhumane. The use of the military and combat weapons against unarmed civilians is a criminal act and stands in direct contrast to the professional bearing of the armies of Egypt and Tunisia. Muammar Qaddafi has clearly lost the legitimacy to govern, and key members of his government have resigned or defected. Qaddafi and his regime must cease using their armed forces to attack unarmed civilians. He and officials of his government should bear in mind that they can be held accountable for their actions. The United States has already taken a number of steps to deal with the escalating crisis. The President, in support of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1973, has authorized limited military action with Coalition partners to end the violence against Libyan citizens. UNSCR 1973 was approved on 17 March by a vote of 10 to 0, with 5 abstentions, including Russia, China, India, Brazil, and Germany. On 19 March the U.S. and its allies began Operation Odyssey Dawn to implement and enforce a no-fly zone in accordance with the UN resolution. Coalition warplanes have launched cruise missile and fixed-wing air strikes against Libyan air defense systems, surface-to-air missile sites, and communication nodes. The President has said that US military involvement in Libya will remain limited. However, we need to be very careful about monitoring the scale of this endeavor and its objectives and guard against mission creep. We also must make sure the effort remains an international one, given our ongoing commitments in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as our resource constraints here at home. As a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I will continue to closely monitor events as they develop, and believe the President must ensure the Congress is kept abreast of developments in Libya and other nations in the Middle East that are also working to embrace democratic reforms. Again, thank you for contacting me. For further information or to sign up for my newsletter please visit my website at http://warner.senate.gov. Sincerely, MARK R. WARNER