2)Musharaff free all his political opponents.

3)Musharaff free all the lawyers.

4)Musharaff agree to abide by the ruling handed down by the Supreme Court which was that his election had been unconstitutional.

5) New, free & fair elections.

Do you think the people of Pakistan will be placated by this?

Placated may be too strong a word but I do think that the people will go for it.

Doubt that this is anything like the fall of the Shah though. Most likely Bhutto will be PM in January and Sharif will come back in some form or another.

Musharraf was due to visit Saudi Arabia this week, the Foreign Ministry said, after the News daily said it had "credible reports" he would meet exiled opposition leader Nawaz Sharif there, fuelling speculation the general might be seeking a deal.

But Sharif later said he would not meet Musharraf, who deposed him eight years ago and sent him into exile.

Reuters

For more about how Pakistan is not like Iran see Manan Ahmed and Barnett Rubin

These [tribal] areas are ripe for political leadership that would oppose both the militants -- absorbing many of the youths they are recruiting -- and military rule. But creating conditions for such leadership to develop would require not sending in the military to bomb and shell the tribes, but legalizing political parties and social organizations (which are outlawed in the tribal agencies) and enabling the people of the tribal agencies to exercise self-government. Rather than give up its own power, the military balances the militants and the weakened tribes.

Only a transition toward more democratic civilian rule would create a constituency that would enable the Pakistani state not just to suppress militants by force but to offer a legitimate alternative to militancy.

RICHARD CLARKE: Actually, I've got about seven points, let me just go through them quickly. Um, the first point, I think the overall point is, there was no plan on Al Qaeda that was passed from the Clinton administration to the Bush administration.

Second point is that the Clinton administration had a strategy in place, effectively dating from 1998. And there were a number of issues on the table since 1998. And they remained on the table when that administration went out of office -- issues like aiding the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan, changing our Pakistan policy -- uh, changing our policy toward Uzbekistan. And in January 2001, the incoming Bush administration was briefed on the existing strategy. They were also briefed on these series of issues that had not been decided on in a couple of years.

So the wonderbar Clinton admin never solved the problem, instead leaving it to Bush. Who, at least, managed to get Pakistan to let us use their facilities.

Perfect? No. Better than what they had? Yes.

Of course you have nothing to say, so you just smear.

Posted by Squeaky at September 19, 2005 11:19 PM

Rove never needed proof for his smear machine, why should I.

The people that believe I-raq attacked us on 9/11 (50% +) and vote the Republicans in, are stupid.