Friday, November 09, 2007

Thought of the Day

The Iranian nuclear programme has given the U.S. and Israel sleepless nights. The troubles in nuclear Pakistan should deny them sleep altogether. Pakistan could experience a coup d'etat like the one which brought Pervez Musharraf to power in 1999, and the new leaders could align themselves with extremist Islamists to guarantee themselves a popular base of support. In other words, Al Qaeda sympathizers may take over.
Now that I have caused any reader of this blog loss of sleep, I will add a minor point. Presidednt Bush admonished Musharraf over the phone Wednesday and told him "You can't be the president and head of the military at the same time." Why not? George Bush himself is commander in chief of all American forces as well as president, and he opted for the safety of Texas instead of serving in Vitenam, while Musharraf rose through the ranks to become commander. Maybe President Bush isn't aware that he holds the two posts. Maybe Dick Cheney has not let him in on this one.