It's make or break time for Pakistan

Posted By Thomas E. Ricks Thursday, May 12, 2011 - 11:05 AM Share

The remains of the mainstream media earns its keep today with a good piece by Fareed Zakaria arguing that this is the moment for Pakistan to straighten up and fly right. I don't think it is going to happen, but if it did, he lays out how it would.

McClatchy has a story in which an American official goes all Rodney King on the situation. "At the end of the day, a relationship with Pakistan is critical.… Wherever this goes, we have to find some way to get along with the Pakistanis." State Department officials saying "end of the day" is like baseball writers using "iconic." It means they are not really thinking.

Interesting to see the Indian PM in Kabul for the first time in six years. Are we seeing the future taking shape?

And I loved the comments on this item, especially the pseudo-spam. (HT to Starbuck)

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JPWREL

3:51 PM ET

May 12, 2011

DON BACON is right as rain on

DON BACON is right as rain on this. The U.S. ‘lapdogs’ the U.K. and Australia at least have parallel strategic goals, aspirations, values and concerns of their American keepers (not even touching upon common factors of history and blood). Pakistan basically shares none of this and orbits in their own strange and convoluted ellipse.

While I don’t think Fareed Zakaria is a total mouthpiece for the administration he does score on well on one point and that is that Glenn Beck hates his guts and refers to him as an ‘idiot of the left’ and a ‘America basher’. In my humble view it should be an aspiration of all American pundits, thinkers and patriots to make it on Glenn Beck’s hate list.

LUVMY91STANG

10:37 PM ET

May 12, 2011

Why would you give Glenn Beck that much credibility? He appeals to a small subset of the population who are completely incapable of independent thought. The same people who, apparently, have no problem buying gold from GGL.

JONNY

7:09 PM ET

May 12, 2011

Future takes shape?

The thinking there is that India steps in to control a "regional security" issue? What a fantasy come true!

How Zakaria's, "Develop a plan to go after...the Haqqani faction, the Quetta Shura and Lashkar-i-Taiba," wouldn't be fraught with duplicity is beyond me. I understand Zakaria's central point is use our leverage and ride these people, but for the most part Don Bacon's "fluff" comment certainly applies.

OTHER RANKS

1:00 AM ET

May 13, 2011

India piles on

India took advantage of the moment to publish a list of 50 wanted persons that was given to Pakistan back in March. Number two on the list is ISI Major Iqbal who was indicted in Chicago last month. Anyone want to take a guess when his flight to Illinois is scheduled?

JELLY_DOUGHNUT

3:34 PM ET

May 13, 2011

Variations on a Theme

The U.S. raid to kill UBL was justified and I completely support it. I only hope they made sure to show him the United States flags on the sleeves before they capped his ass. (I know, they went in with goggles and sanitized uniforms, but you get the idea).

But...this is playing out like another huge case of humiliation for an Islamic country. Don't get me wrong, it was totally justified -- but I think this is going to feed into the ongoing mindfuck for young Islamic males who live in a perpetual state of humiliation.

Tough shit for them.

Peace, OUT.

MARTY MARTEL

11:22 PM ET

May 17, 2011

Armageddon between nuclear-armed Pakistan and U. S.?

Let us see if U. S. negotiates illusionary PEACE with Pakistan-controlled Taliban before things get totally out of hand between nuclear-armed Pakistan and nuclear-armed U. S., leading to Armageddon.

That will turn long-preached theory of American foreign policy wonks about ‘Armageddon between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India’ on its head!