Did You Know?

I know this will shock you, but did you know that the U.S. gives Musharraf Pakistan $150 million per month in "aid"? And after he arrested the Pakistani Supreme Court and anyone else who dares speak out against him, the U.S. had a very stern response?

Musharraf apparently knew he had nothing to fear from the Americans, and the NYT notes that, according to government aides, no senior U.S. official has so much as placed a call to him after emergency rule was imposed.

Freedom on the march.

Of course the larger issue is how this particular puzzle piece will fit in to the regional picture. As I mentioned before, it can't help the U.S. in the Middle East and will certainly strengthen more radical elements. At least the U.S. gets the benefit of a stout ally in the war on terra .....

For all the talk of how Pakistan is such a critical ally in the fight against terrorists, the truth is that Musharraf's government has made few strides against the rising presence of al-Qaida and the Taliban. The LAT fronts a look at how Musharraf has spent much of the $7 billion in U.S. Military aid to bulk up on equipment and weapons that "are far more suited for conventional warfare with India." This means the force that has been tasked with pursuing al-Qaida "remains underfunded, poorly trained, and overwhelmingly outgunned."