"Congress has slashed aid to Pakistan because of their disappointment with our failure to do enough to improve democracy and human rights..."
"How will our leaders deal with this?"
"Three fold strategy I would imagine."
"What?"
"First, to vehemently deny that we don't have democracy..."
"But..."
"There are no buts. Denial will be the first line of attack."
"So when Bush was here and the accompanying media team asked about democracy and need I add Musharraf..."
"Was on the defensive!"
"Right but he explained that there was democracy - didn't they understand?"
"I think they did all too well."
"So first there will be denial and then what?"
"Then it will be meddling in Pakistan's internal affairs and how no one will be allowed to do that."
"Ah yes that's true."
"Not to be tolerated."
"Except in some cases!"
"What cases?"
"When no option is given, as you know, in the case of the US war on terror would be defined by the US and none of its allies."
"Allies maybe stretching it, I would say satellite states."
"Ah yes, so you reckon even now the US can enforce what it wants in Pakistan in terms of democracy but it has opted to go only half way."
"Precisely!"
"And what's the third prong of the strategy?"
"Hope that people will forget about it. Talk of breaking the begging bowl, you know a lot of noise but no substance."
"Indeed."