http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2011/05/sen_john_kerry_hearing_on_bin.html
Osama bin Laden's hideout in Abbottabad, a garrison city not far from Islamabad, perhaps 35 miles as the crow flies, raises serious questions for all of us. What did Pakistani's military and intelligence services know and when did they know it? Who did they think was living behind those 15-foot walls? Was there a level of curiosity? How could Bin Laden have gone undetected living next-door to Pakistan's equivalent of West Point, where just last week General Kayani gave a speech celebrating the Pakistani military "breaking the back" of terrorism?
It is simply honest to say that we are all troubled by these questions, and Pakistan has promised an investigation and answers. Like every other American, I want to know whether the Pakistani military or its intelligence services, or some component of either, was somehow unaware of its infamous neighbor or knowingly protected him.
No matter what we learn about the events that preceded the killing of Bin Laden, we have vital national security interests in this region, and we have worked to build a partnership with Pakistan that allows us to pursue common threats and interests. Despite Bin Laden's death, the fight against al Qaeda and other extremist groups that threaten the United States and our allies is far from over.
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Even before Bin Laden's death, our relationship with Pakistan was fragile. The Raymond Davis affair stirred widespread anti-American sentiment across Pakistan. I have taken many trips to Pakistan and during my last trip, I have never seen anti-American sentiment so high. A dramatic increase in Pakistan's nuclear arsenal raised our concerns about nuclear proliferation and regional security. And no matter what, Pakistan is and will remain a nuclear state in a tinderbox of a region.
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