Aid to Pakistan

When the 10-year search for Usama bin Laden came to an unexpected end on May 2, it didn't happen in the remote mountains of Afghanistan. Instead, Navy SEALS discovered Usama in Abbottabad, Pakistan - a destination popular among army retirees, just miles from the country's capital.

The question of whether or not Pakistan knew about the terrorist's whereabouts has led some lawmakers to call for the U.S. to halt the $3 billion dollars in aid it provides to Pakistan.

But not everyone agrees. On Thursday, Lt. Col Oliver North told Varney & Co. that cutting off aid would prevent American troops from conducting the type of operations that could lead to the takedown of other prominent Al Qaeda members. Instead, North says, the answer is to "keep the aid going, and make sure we do not talk about the kind of strings we fasten to this."

According to North, this means the U.S. does not need to broadcast its financial supporting of Pakistan "out it on the front page of our papers." He says similar actions were major mistakes in the way U.S. dealt with the death of Bin Laden.

"We have friends in Pakistan who are now in jeopardy because the administration decided to do a narrative on exactly how we carried out this mission."

North says allies in Pakistan have a difficult job, and one that was not made easier by President Obama's "I was in charge" stance in the Bin Laden operations.

While the administration cannot stop the "chest thumping, high fiving and self congratulations on the mission that was just conducted," North says moving forward we must be able to use the aid as a lever. North says this will allow the Pakistani government to know that this "aid is contingent upon you cooperating with us."