Shall We Bomb Pakistan?

It entertains me to no end that a Zogby poll ( or was it a Zagat's review?) at the end of October stated that 52% of Americans favored bombing Iran. Of course, they had little hint that the most profound threat of nuclear instability was always going to come from their good old friend Pakistan. A year or so ago, while talking about Mr. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of the state of Pakistan, I managed to say something glib along the lines that he would disapprove mightily ("be spinning in his grave") over the developments of the present: Mr. Musharraf, a man who was both President and Head of the army. A lady recently emigrated from Pakistan (and, thus, imagining herself to be more knowledgeable than I) took me to task and said something to the effect that outsider don't know nothing! Or, at least that outsiders should let Pakistanis make the judgements about their leaders...or some such nonsense. I mean, if we were to allow Pakistanis to make the judgements about their government, that means I would not be able to condemn General Zia al-Haqq to the deepest pit of hell, which is where he most certainly is. Anyway, events have proven me correct again, and democracy has had its left hand chopped off, as it were, by a man who is along the historical lines of typical American allies outside of Europe: despots, tyrants, and usurpers. I am lead to believe that our government is frantically trying to re-establish some semblance of democracy, preferably by getting the Pakistan police to bash some heads wearing dirty turbans rather than clean bowler hats; to cut a few throats girded by ragged shirts rather than tasteful cravates; to whack a Waziri instead of a Iuris Doctor or lawyer. Mr. Jinnah himself was a lawyer. He was called to London's bar from Lincoln's Inn in 1896. He does not approve.