it comes as no surprise that the bush administration was bluffing when it warned musharraf not to declare emergency rule a couple of days ago. the bush administration's policies with regard to pakistan have never made all that much sense. but if there's one consistent theme it is an abiding fear that mushy will be replaced by someone worse. pretty much everything president bush has done with regard to pakistan--and by that i mean reversing the clinton-era sanctions and accepting almost everything the pakistani government does--follows from that simple fact.
that musharraf didn't hesitate to impose his state of emergency the day after the bush administration told him not to, and that he did not temper the scope of the emergency decree at all, illustrates that musharraf is aware that fact as well.
