Exposing Bush's Weakness

When the going gets tough, President Bush -- checks out?

Faced with a genuine geo-political crisis brought on by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's anti-democracy crackdown over the weekend, Bush responded yesterday with deference and a meek hope for the best.

"Previous to his decision we made it clear that these emergency measures were -- would undermine democracy," Bush said during a photo op. "Having said that. . . . President Musharraf has been a strong fighter against extremists and radicals. After all, they tried to kill him three or four times. . . .

"Now that he's made that decision, I hope now that he hurry back to elections."

There was no talk of consequences for Musharraf, who has been the recipient of well over $10 billion in U.S. aid over the past six years. And although White House officials said they learned a week ago that the Pakistani leader was contemplating such a move, Bush himself never got on the horn to the man he has called"my buddy and my friend."

Even under the cover of anonymity, the " senior administration official" who briefed reporters yesterday on Pakistan chose the wet noodle over the big stick.

"President Musharraf, you know -- who is the leader of his country -- but in our judgment, he's made a mistake. And the question is what do you do when someone makes a mistake that is a close ally? You know, do you cut him off, hit him with sanctions, walk out the door? Or do you try and see if you can work with them to get them back on track? And the President's guidance to us is see if we can work with them to get back on track. . . .

"You know, we don't -- we are the United States of America; we're very powerful, we have a lot of influence, but we don't dictate."

Mark Mazzetti writes in the New York Times: "President Bush on Monday urged Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the Pakistani president, to hold elections and give up his army post 'as soon as possible,' but gave no indication that the general's imposition of emergency rule would bring about any significant change in American policy. . . .

"A Bush administration official who works on Pakistan issues acknowledged that with the United States having already invested so much in General Musharraf, there was little Washington could do in response to the Pakistani president's actions that did not have the potential to undermine American goals.

"'When you owe the bank a million dollars, you have a problem; but when you owe the bank $100 million, the bank has a problem,' he said. "

Michael Abramowitz and Robin Wright write in The Washington Post that "the administration is struggling to balance a drive for democracy in the Muslim world with what it considers Musharraf's support in the fight against al-Qaeda. . . .