Musharraf's Crisis Spreads to Bush

The Bush administration is weighing its previously unflinching alliance with Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf, the Journal reports, as Islamabad spirals into political crisis. The Pentagon is brainstorming post-Pervez scenarios, and some insiders are even pushing for distance from the increasingly autocratic general-president.

Bush's friendship with Musharraf has always been a tense compromise aimed at stemming Pakistan's Islamists. But as pressure mounts against the general, who last week cracked down on the media and judiciary, diplomats worry the US is squandering its position with potential successors like Benazir Bhutto. One official warns, though, that even if Musharraf eventually bows out, "it could be a long last act." (More Pervez Musharraf stories.)