Quack!

Fred Kaplan from Slate on what Pakistan's "governmental re-organization" means for the Bush Administration's foreign policy:

This crisis was triggered last March when Musharraf fired the chief justice of the Supreme Court for criticizing his rule. That set off the unprecedented street rallies by the nation's lawyers. That emboldened the Supreme Court, which started to take its duties seriously. That gave rise to the near-certainty that the court would rule Musharraf's reign illegal. That tipped Musharraf to suspend the constitution—and, with it, the courts.

Since Bush officials stay in touch with Musharraf quite frequently, and since they are known to pay at least lip service to democracy, someone could have at least advised Musharraf to get off this track. No one could have expected him to turn democrat, but he could have taken palliative measures—or cynical ones: for instance, paying off the justices—to ward off a crisis.

The Bush foreign policy was neither shrewd enough to play self-interested power politics nor truly principled enough to enforce its ideals.

One consequence of this crisis is that Bush's "freedom agenda" is finally bankrupt. He will never again be able to invoke it, even as a rhetorical ploy, without evoking winces or laughter.

Keep in mind that Pakistan now has nukes, the $10 million that Bush gave up for a promise of democracy, and a virtual dictatorship. Bush has egg on his face and no ground to stand on the next time he tries to claim that his doctrine produces the desired results.

Musharraf has done what the Democratic Party could not: make George W. Bush a lame duck president.