You know, like hair transplants

Last night's presidential debate was for the most part extremely boring, but noteworthy is the fact that John McCain continues to insist that Barack Obama is "going to attack Pakistan."

Of course Obama never said any such thing. What he said is that if all else fails, he would pursue Obama bin Laden across the Afghanistan-North Waziristan border and if, under certain circumstances, Pakistan was unable or unwilling to do so itself.

Which is identical to McCain's own position.

But that's not "attacking Pakistan." That's attacking al-Qaeda. Attacking Pakistan would involve, for example, dropping a bomb on Islamabad as punishment for Pakistan's inability or unwillingness to capture or kill bin Laden (if he's even alive).

McCain himself said:

I'll get Osama bin Laden, my friends. I'll get him. I know how to get him. I'll get him no matter what and I know how to do it.

"No matter what" sounds pretty all-inclusive to me. It includes everything Obama suggested and then some. And besides, if McCain really knows how to "get" bin Laden, then why didn't he tell George W. Bush on September 12, 2001 instead of being among the original cheerleaders for war on Iraq? All that got bin Laden was pleased.

McCain's is a very silly and hypocritical line of criticism against Obama. But now he and his pitbull soulmate can get back to their more scurrilous and fallacious attacks on Obama which, for some strange reason, McCain hadn't the nerve to declare to Obama's face.