I’d be fine with the expense if the money was dedicated to military expenditures; but it’s not. We’re talking hundreds of millions of dollars for energy and water infrastructure. Apparently the money was approved by Congress last year but Hillary Clinton is just announcing the specifics now.

“We know that there is a perception held by too many Pakistanis that America’s commitment to them begins and ends with security,” Clinton said. “But security is just one piece of this vital partnership.”

Really? What else but assistance in the war on terror does Pakistan offer to the United States? Are we holding out for the valuable Pakistani contribution to space exploration or cancer research? Spare us the politically correct bullcrap. We need Pakistan for the fight against terrorists and little else.

Yet:

Electricity is one of Pakistan’s top priorities. A large chunk of the new US aid will be spent on new power supplies, including the Gomal Zam dam in Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, and several hydroelectric projects in Balochistan province.

Clinton said the US would also fund several solar and wind energy projects.

Pakistan’s electric grid is chronically overtaxed, with hours-long blackouts common across the country. The Pakistan Electric Power Company reported earlier this week that demand for electricity outstripped supply by nearly 5,000 megawatts.

US aid will also be used to renovate three hospitals, in Karachi, Lahore and Jacobabad, to launch several agricultural programmes, and to expand access to clean water in Pakistan.

Oh, good. We’re establishing green energy projects in a country that still doesn’t even control all of its own territory. But hey, maybe that expenditure will be dwarfed by the hospital renovations we’ll be funding at American taxpayer expense.

Our own infrastructure is falling apart and our debt-to-GDP ratio is approaching 94%. So where are we spending infrastructure dollars? Perhaps in our own country? Or even in a country we invaded and have some responsibility to fix? No, in Pakistan. A country that has only recently been convinced to crackdown somewhat on Islamic terrorism.