Congress should approve future military action only when Washington has no alternative course to protect America--its territory, people, or constitutional liberties.

Imagine you're the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, and you've been tasked to draft a cable to prepare American officials in Washington for the visit of General Raheel Sharif, the Pakistani army chief who has arrived in town for a five-day trip.

This trip once again highlights the army's brazenly tight grip on the country's democratic government, specifically its foreign policy.

American and Pakistani officials have discussed the elimination of terrorist safe havens in Pakistan for at least the last two decades. Why, then, has the United States failed to secure Pakistan's acquiescence to its demands?