U.S. Must Rethink Pakistan

Beginning of article

Americans are focused on the presidential primaries. But an election campaign halfway around the world will have enormous impact on their lives.

I refer to elections in Pakistan, from which I just returned after a sobering two weeks. Pakistan just deferred its ballot from Jan. 8 to Feb. 18, after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Her country has become the key sanctuary for al-Qaida and Taliban forces, along with other jihadis trying to seize control of portions of a nation that has nukes.

Having visited both Iraq and Pakistan in December, I can say without hesitation that the latter is now the scarier of the two. The Bush administration must rethink its …