Obama Administration divided over Haqqani Network terror designation as deadline looms

09/01/12: The Washington Post reports that the Obama Administration is deeply divided over whether to designate the Pakistan-based Haqqani Network as a terrorist group, with some officials worried that doing so could complicate efforts to restart peace talks with the Taliban and undermine already-fraught relations with Pakistan.  In early August, Congress gave Secretary of State Hillary Clinton thirty days to determine whether the group meets the criteria for designation as a foreign organization engaging in terrorist activity that threatens US citizens or national security.  If Clinton says it does not, she must explain her rationale in a report due September 9.  Acknowledgment that the group meets the criteria, however, would probably force the administration to take action, which the military strongly favors but some in the White House and State Department have resisted.