Democrats prod Bush to tighten US Pakistan strategy

Top Democratic senators Saturday urged President George W Bush to seek a "more effective" strategy for Pakistan, Afghanistan and al-Qaeda, following the "deeply disturbing" actions of the Pakistani leader.
President Pervez Musharraf's decisions to suspend the constitution and declare emergency rule "raise very troubling questions not only about the (US) administration's policy vis-a-vis Pakistan, but also its overall national security strategy," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his colleagues said Friday in a signed letter.
Their criticism came as Bush on Saturday praised Musharraf as a strong ally against terrorism and said he had no reason to doubt the Pakistani leader's pledges to return his country to democratic rule.
Besides Musharraf's moves that have "derailed" Pakistan from the path of democracy, the senators listed his failure to deal with al-Qaeda -- which "has 'regenerated' and now rivals what it was before 9/11"-- despite 10 billion dollars in US aid.
Musharraf's "decision to use his police, military and intelligence services against his political opponents instead of against terrorists directly undermines the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda," the Democrats said.
"It is increasingly clear that the administration's policy has served neither the needs or the people of Pakistan nor security interests of our country," the opposition lawmakers said.
The letter was signed by Reid, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden, Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Charles Schumer, and Majority Conference Secretary Patty Murray.
They also noted that the Iraq War had "degenerated the readiness of our military to levels not seen since Vietnam," and urged Bush to "immediately assess" his policies toward Pakistan and to counter al-Qaeda.
They suggested Bush take steps to encourage Musharraf to restore constitutional freedoms and ensure free and fair elections as promised; reassess US assistance to Pakistan to better serve US interests, and enhance Pakistan's efforts to disrupt al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
In the face of the troubling events in Pakistan, the lawmakers also suggested Bush evaluate whether "the Defence and State Departments have sufficient capacity to deal with crises other than Iraq.
"Do you anticipate reevaluating your plan to continue the surge in Iraq through the middle of next year," asked the Democrats, echoing their failed attempts earlier this year to reduce US military deployment in Iraq.
"We believe events in Pakistan and elsewhere convincingly demonstrate it is long past time for a more effective strategy for dealing with Pakistan, the related situation in Afghanistan, as well as addressing the other threats and challenges America faces around the world."