Pakistan wobbles....

I've probably not mentioned Pakistan enough because of US politics in the last week, but the situation in Pakistan is degenerating. The ruling coalition was joined in its anti-Musharraf sentiment, but now that he's stepped down, their differences are threatening to tear the government apart.

The Pakistani Taleban/Sunni extremists have significantly raised the violence, not only with bigger and more deadly strikes, but also with much more frequent attacks occurring across a much wider geographic swathe of the country.

It's not really clear where the powerful Pakistani military (or the ISI) is falling in all of this.

It's not yet out of control, but there seems to be no one exercising central guidance or authority.

From the US side, there is virtually no one to deal with.

The AFP has a decent catchall article, and the AP to a lesser degree. The Pakistani election commission has announced a Sept. 6 date for the Presidential election to replace Musharraf, and that may provide some direction and stability (or it may not.)

Just throwing it back into the mix as something to watch.