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Musharraf's Crisis Spreads to Bush

Administration rethinks friendship with embattled Pakistani prez

By Max Brallier,  Newser User

Posted Jun 5, 2007 7:35 AM CDT
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(Newser) – The Bush administration is weighing its previously unflinching alliance with Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf, the Journal reports, as Islamabad spirals into political crisis. The Pentagon is brainstorming post-Pervez scenarios, and some insiders are even pushing for distance from the increasingly autocratic general-president.

Bush's friendship with Musharraf has always been a tense compromise aimed at stemming Pakistan's Islamists. But as pressure mounts against the general, who last week cracked down on the media and judiciary, diplomats worry the US is squandering its position with potential successors like Benazir Bhutto. One official warns, though, that even if Musharraf eventually bows out, "it could be a long last act."

Pakistani lawyers burn a poster featuring an altered image combining the faces of U.S. President George Bush and Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf during an anti-government rally in Karachi, Pakistan on Tuesday, April 3, 2007. Thousands of lawyers and flag-waving political activists rallied for the reinstatement of Pakistan's chief...
Pakistani lawyers burn a poster featuring an altered image combining the faces of U.S. President George Bush and Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf during an anti-government rally in Karachi, Pakistan...   (Associated Press)
Pakistani journalists shout slogans they march towards the presidency during a rally to condemn the crackdown against media, Monday, June 4, 2007 in Islamabad, Pakistan. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf tightened the regulation of Pakistan's media Monday, the latest move against dissent in a growing political crisis over his suspension of...
Pakistani journalists shout slogans they march towards the presidency during a rally to condemn the crackdown against media, Monday, June 4, 2007 in Islamabad, Pakistan. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf...   (Associated Press)
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, shown in New York with President George W. Bush in this November 10, 2001, file photo, has won high praise from Washington by cracking down on Islamic extremists
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, shown in New York with President George W. Bush in this November 10, 2001, file photo, has won high praise from Washington by cracking down on Islamic extremists   (KRT Photos)
Bush, Musharraf Meet At Camp David
Bush, Musharraf Meet At Camp David   (Getty Images)
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Bush administration • Pakistan • Pervez Musharraf • Islamabad • Benazir Bhutto • crisis

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