Pakistan

I was wrong.  It’s "right," oops.  /need sleep

They’re wright.  Check out the still.  :-)

I heard NPR talking about how Osama, if alive, would have a video for this coming Presidential election …

Seems a bit odd that the worlds media didn’t jump on this news, given that this whole era of ‘the war on terror’ is alledgedly down to this one individual.

This is a huge turn of events. I’m worried….to say the least. An unstable Pakistan is a scary proposition.

The collapse of Iraq, the crumbling of democracy in Pakistan, the spread of nuclear weapons…can George Bush’s legacy get any worse?

Yes, the security and intelligence services should leave politics to civilians. But for the foreseeable future, these same organizations will remain the only instruments available for fighting terrorists and manning the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. If we Americans want them to do a better job, Washington and Islamabad must enhance cooperation at every level and seek opportunities to integrate operations in ways that build trust. Rather than greater public criticism or sanctions, the United States should draw Pakistan%u2019s army and intelligence services into a warm but tight and coercive embrace.

The skeptics are right that the United States should use its diplomatic leverage to support Pakistan%u2019s constitutional mechanisms: electoral, judicial and institutional. Free and fair national elections monitored by international observers would produce a parliament with greater popular legitimacy, marking a significant step in Pakistan%u2019s democratic transition even if Musharraf retains the presidency. Transparent legal proceedings in the conduct of the government%u2019s case against the chief justice, without intimidation or harassment of justices, witnesses or media, would do more to advance the independence of the judiciary than any conceivable opposition protest. And a post-election timetable for power sharing between civilian leaders and the army could pave the way for a democratic transition more sustainable than any Pakistan has seen to date.

Depersonalizing America%u2019s relationship with Pakistan makes good sense, but only if Washington devotes more attention to building a broad-based bilateral relationship and stronger Pakistani institutions capable of outlasting any single leader, whether he sits in Islamabad or in Washington.