Demonising his opponent's ideas, appropriating the popular aspects of them and couching the overall policy in populist rhetoric is a coherent strategy, and one Mr Gore excels at: remember his demolition of Bill Bradley's health-care plans.
Unfortunately, due to Obama's stridently anti-Pakistani rhetoric throughout the campaign - rhetoric untethered to any coherent strategy for dealing with Pakistan - the Pakistanis no doubt felt the need to test his mettle as quickly as possible.