Posted on 09/29/2006 2:55:46 AM PDT by BLACKSTEEL_NYC
Pervez Musharraf is America’s favorite dictator. The Bush administration seems to consider the Pakistani general -- who took power in a 1999 military coup -- an indispensable ally, and has yet to publicly pressure him on the democracy front. Democrats and foreign policy thinkers of the "realist" school seem equally comfortable with the idea of Gen. Musharraf running Pakistan for the indefinite future. Indeed, if the purpose of the general’s new autobiography -- "In the Line of Fire" -- was to win American sympathy ahead of an attempt to fiddle with next year’s presidential election, he probably needn’t have bothered. A recent meeting of the Musharraf fan club took place at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, where Gen. Musharraf gave brief remarks and took questions as he launched his book tour on Monday night. He was treated to standing ovations that exceeded mere politeness as he entered and left the hall. Not one questioner raised the democracy issue. And if the moderator -- former Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin -- was curious, he didn’t let on. He was too busy extolling Gen. Musharraf’s wisdom and the fact that he has been kind enough to employ as prime minister Mr. Rubin’s ex-Citibank colleague, Shaukat Aziz. Even among the "neocon" architects of President Bush’s democracy-promotion agenda it’s hard to find an unkind word about Gen.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
Because we play the cards we're dealt.
Well,we are all assuming that Musharraf is an absolute dictator of sorts,surrounded by enemies.He has survived these 7 years,because he has the support of the most important men in Pakistan-the 9 Corp commanders,who head the main battle formations of the Pakistani army.They are his likely successors & none of them would want to rock the boat.The Pakistani army has a peculiar psyche-unravelling it isn't easy for most persons.
Democracy has not worked in Pakistan because it has never got a chance to gestate & mature.If you think that radicals come to power,well who backed the Islamic extremist outfit,the MMA in Pakistan 2002 general elections??Gen Pervez Musharraf himself,to neutralise opposition from Nawaz Sharif & Benazir Bhutto.
What good is it being president of a country where the army calls the shots???All his power comes from the gun,not the constitution.So whether he or someone else is president is of little relevance since he holds both posts.
& What makes you think Musharraf didn't want the job??Every person who has made it beyond the rank of lieutenant general in Pakistan knows the amount of muscle power the commands as well as the closed machinations of the Punjabi dominated Pakistani army.
The ISI is not independent of the army-most of their senior cadre is from the army itself-The ISI has as much power as the army allows it to have or exercise.
Benazir or Sharif look tainted because they dealt with an army which was not subordinate to the Parliament & by extension the constitution.Not saying that they are angels,but in Pakistan only one force has held real power since the 1960s-the ARMY.It bred the forces of Islam in the late 70s,which Benazir & Sharif tried to co-opt without success in order to balance out the army's influence.
Gee as opposed to the liberals favorite dictator, Saddam, who got 100% of a forced vote?
Because the alternative dictators are orders of magnitude worse.
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