There are so many things about what is happening in Pakistan that could catch fire, I don't even know where to begin. Others can write about the drug trade, the potential of loose nukes, and the rise of a guy named Baitullah Mehsud who may well become more dangerous than Osama bin Laden ever was -- right now, I'm most worried that Bush's buddy just turned on him.
On the CBS website:
The New York Times reported last week that Washington was considering expanding the authority of the Central Intelligence Agency and the military to peruse aggressive covert operations within the tribal regions. Several U.S. presidential candidates have also hinted they would support unilateral action in the area.
Musharraf told the Straits Times that U.S. troops would "certainly" be considered invaders if they set foot in the tribal regions. A full transcript of the interview was published on the paper's Web site.
"If they come without our permission, that's against the sovereignty of Pakistan. I challenge anybody coming into our mountains," he said in the interview in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. "They would regret that day."
Musharraf is also under gathering domestic political pressure.
That ain't good. We are about a whisker away from starting a war with Iran, and now Musharraf has decided that he's in more danger from his own people than from Bush.