"After Benazir Bhutto"
Giving of its largesse with no apparent reward just is not American:
The Bush administration has to rethink more than just its unhealthy and destructive enabling of Musharraf. It also must take a hard look at the billions it is funneling to Pakistan's military. That money is supposed to finance the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. But Washington hasn't kept a close watch, and much of it has gone to projects that interested Musharraf and the Pakistani Army more, like building weapons systems aimed at America's ally, India. Meanwhile, Al Qaeda and the Taliban continued, and continue, to make alarming gains.
The United States cannot afford to have Pakistan unravel any further. The lesson of the last six years is that authoritarian leaders - even ones backed with billions in American aid - don't make reliable allies, and they can't guarantee security.
American policy must be directed at building a strong democracy in Pakistan that has the respect and the support of its own citizens and the will and the means to fight Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Pakistan is a nation of 165 million people. The days of Washington mortgaging its interests there to one or two individuals must finally come to an end.
But, the assassinations of affluent Muslim women have always had a substantial effect on American politicians and the public.
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