Something's afoot in Pakistan

With the unrest in North Waziristan, the political reconciliation attempt, the play for power/protection by Benazir Bhutto, and the U.S. splurbles about keeping open the possibility of strikes into Pakistan (made in varying degrees by a State Department official and presidential wannabe Barack Obama).

WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke at length late Wednesday with Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf as the key U.S. anti-terrorism ally weighed imposing a state of emergency due to security concerns in the nuclear-armed nation.

Rice spoke by phone to Musharraf in a call that took place in the early hours of Thursday in Pakistan where officials said an emergency declaration was being considered and that the president would soon meet with his cabinet to discuss the option, a senior State Department official said.
(The News)

This bears watching. Perhaps President Pervez Musharraf feels that he needs to assert firm control right now because of Bhutto's power play (insisting that Musharraf drop his leadership of the armed forces if he remains as president). Or perhaps it's something more serious, which could be anything from polling data that looks horrible for Musharraf to evidence of an impending coup attempt.