Partly Facetious: the agenda for the day of reckoning

"I simply love the old and tried democratic system."
"So do I."
"From creating the most arrogant and powerful man in the world the system has left him willing to compromise and let's just say has humbled him."
"Right and it was all due to the people of that country. There was the threat of terrorism that was no longer an issue in the polls..."
"I wonder if it's an issue in our polls."
"Law and order should be."
"Yes but see the President of the US is also the Commander-in-Chief if you know what I mean."
"Precisely but the President is elected by the people so there are no parallels there, my friend."
"But in our country..."
"No parallels."
"I would just like to say..."
"No parallels."
"You are in an uncompromising mood."
"Indeed I am. Bush took the US to war, and at the same time tampered with civil liberties and while the people allowed him to do that for a number of years the day of reckoning did arrive."
"Well, President Musharraf is also fighting terrorism but in our case it's home grown I guess so the challenge is greater and..."
"Nothing can be more challenging than Iraq."
"Well, yes but..."
"You don't kill your own people."
"Right but..."
"You don't adjust policies when an uprising, call it what you will, has gone on for more than four to five years..."
"Terrorism or insurgency..."
"Whatever but three provinces are almost up in arms against policies of the government and you can't ignore that and continue to sit in government..."
"But did you hear of the most interesting thing coming out from Washington?"
"What?"
"The US House of Representatives has stipulated that in order to receive assistance Pakistan must resolve some critical issues which need immediate resolution and some of these are: Combating poverty and corruption, building effective government institutions and promoting democracy and the rule of law, particularly at the national level."
"Musharraf hasn't reacted yet..."
"And once Bush is gone can you imagine what we may suffer?"
"Indeed. If I were Musharraf I would be worried, worried about getting myself reelected from an outgoing assembly, worried about the lack of rule of law, worried..."
"He will dismiss it as interference in our national affairs."