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Obama, Mccain, And Musharraf

McCain has put out an utterly banal and perfectly appropriate statement describing Musharraf's resignation as "a step toward moving Pakistan onto a more stable political footing." But it's worth remembering that, until recently, McCain was as resolute--and as mistaken--in his support of Musharraf as the Bush administration.

Most notably, in December, after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto prompted numerous calls for the Bush administration to rethink its relationship with Musharraf, McCain (alone among the presidential candidates) rose to Musharraf's defense, hailing him for having "done a pretty good job" and lauding him as "personally scrupulously honest."

Contrast that with what Obama was saying about Musharraf then--"a president who has acted in an anti-democratic fashion"--and even before Bhutto's assassination, and it's pretty clear which candidate has shown better judgment when it comes to Pakistan.

--Jason Zengerle