The big news this weekend is of course the move by Pervez Musharraf to keep his job as President despite an election a month ago that many sensible people contend was rigged about four times more egregiously than Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004. Ponder that concept for a moment.

General/ President * Musharraf has had his two authorized terms in office, but desperate times require desperate measures and so he decided to run again and surprise! He won. The Supreme Court is presently deciding whether the election was a true win and General Musharraf’s decision was to avoid the danger of civic unrest by blanketing the city with troops and tanks. He paid special attention to the Supreme Court building, apparently in fear that rioting citizens might seize the building.

His concern for the safety of the Supreme Court justices deciding the legitimacy of his latest election was so high that he ordered the Army to transport the justices back home in heavily armed convoys.

Swopa, who completely misunderstands the real meaning of the situation in Pakistan, highlighted this commentary by Ms Rice, our alleged Russian expert and concert pianist:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Saturday it was "highly regrettable" that Pakistan's president had declared a state of emergency. She urged restraint on all sides and a swift return to democracy.

The United States "does not support extraconstitutional measures," Rice said in an interview with CNN from Turkey, where she was participating in a conference with Iraq's neighbors.

It’s worth clicking the link to get Swopa’s commentary on Ms Rice’s professional opinion of Pakistan today.

General / President Musharraf is truly a man deeply concerned with the fate of his nation. A thinking man would immediately recognize that Messers Bu$h and Cheney are fortunate that there is no such danger of civic unrest in the US, since there are very few soldiers available, nor armored cars, to escort our Supreme Court Justices in this way. I know you join me in hoping there is no unrest after the November 2008 elections (if it is decided to allow them) since so much of our Army is involved in supporting the last Iraq election.

* - In contention for rank of “President for Life”