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There are two significant differences between Pakistan now and Libya then. The first is that modern-day Pakistan is riven between the military government, which is friendly toward us, and a burgeoning Islamist movement which most certainly is not. Libya, then and now, is ruled by a military government with no real opposition. While sending troops to Libya back then would have meant confronting a unified power structure thoroughly hostile toward the US, sending troops to Pakistan now could conceivably tip the balance toward the existing powers that be (Musharraf) that are friendly to us. Thus, instead of replacing one government with another as would have been necessary in Libya, military action in Pakistan could serve, in the best possible outcome of such action, to help our friends defeat a mutual enemy and thus *prevent* a change of power instead of precipitating one.
The second factor is that Pakistan has nuclear weapons, which raises the ante in every sense, whereas Libya has no such weapons.
Disclaimer: I'm undecided in the primary right now, and I do not think that we should just walk into Pakistan tomorrow.
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