Exposing Bush's Weakness

By Dan Froomkin

Special to washingtonpost.com
Tuesday, November 6, 2007; 1:22 PM

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."...[Open in new window]