[utherdoul]

They were right. Strategic position or no we should never have allied with them. If there’s a coup god knows how many billions of dollars we’ll need to spend to stabalize the country or how many thousands of US soldiers we’ll lose backing the lesser of two evils.

[Paladin2]

India is clearly more of a natural ally than Pakistan will ever be.

[ScreamingFist]

In the cable dated September 11, 1974, Moynihan wrote that the decision to rearm "Pakistan will be devastating for Indo-US relationship and drive New Delhi further into the Russian camp."

So what's the point, that India is now overrun by Russia or that Nixon and Moynihan were dumbasses?

[TheThinker]

It seems Moynihan was the last good Democrat. I’ve heard enough about him to discern that he was anti-communist. I also love his point lamenting that American culture no longer “defines deviancy down”.

[JimWayne]

Editor Weisman says that by calling Pakistan an acronym, Moynihan is referring to its name devised by its founders as an agglomeration of Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir, Sindh and Baluchistan.

Pakistan was named as it means Land of the Pure. Pakistan was not created as an acronym. This is a myth - note that there is no B in the name. Had it been an acronym, there would be a B for Bengal (today's Bangladesh).