And a clueless President named Bush.

In this instance, the media first reported something Musharraf said—that former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage warned a Pakistani counterpart in the frantic hours after 9/11, “Be prepared to be bombed. Be prepared to go back to the Stone Age.” But according to Armitage, he never said any such thing. “It did not happen,” he retorted. “I was not authorized to say something like that. I did not say it.” When confronted with the verbal volley, Musharraf plugged his forthcoming memoir, implying that the answer will be found there. “I am honor-bound to Simon and Schuster not to comment on the book,” he demurred. [...]

Musharraf has benefited richly from his decision to make a virtue out of necessity: Earlier this year, the Bush administration agreed to ship dozens of F-16 fighter-bombers to Musharraf. Between 2005 and 2009, the United States will pour $3 billion in economic and military aid into Pakistan. In addition, Washington has lobbied international lenders to approve $1 billion in loans. And the administration continues to avert its gaze from the fact that having Musharraf’s military junta as an ally in an otherwise noble effort to spread freedom in the Muslim world makes a mockery of that very effort.

Even so, it is sometimes necessary—especially in a time of war—to compromise on the particulars to achieve the ultimate objective. In this case, the objective is the defeat of jihadists and their patrons and partners. Those who help America in this effort should be counted as allies; those who do not should not be. [...] However, if an effort isn’t being made to achieve the main objective, or if progress isn’t being made toward that objective, compromising on the particulars can compromise the overall mission. And five years after 9/11, there is every indication that Musharraf is doing just that. For example:

U.S. forces are not free to move in or above Pakistan in pursuit of the enemy. In fact, after Bush told CNN he would send US forces into Pakistan if intelligence indicated bin Laden’s presence, Musharraf rebuffed him and said he would not permit foreign troops on Pakistani soil.
Yet he is allowing al-Qaeda and Taliban remnants on Pakistani soil. In fact, Musharraf’s troops are steering clear of certain semi-autonomous tribal areas, or at best remaining in their barracks, thereby ceding territory to the enemy and creating a safe haven for terrorists.
This very month, Musharraf’s government inexplicably released more than a thousand suspected terrorists and their accomplices, including al-Qaeda operatives.

And who can forget Mushy’s book that’s quickly rising on the popularity lists? Only, it is categorized incorrectly.