Islamist Nuke Coming Soon!

Maybe the sky isn't falling right now, but Pakistan is. I'm in India, so I do not know how widely this is being covered back in the United States, but there is a major crisis in Pakistan right now--which, for those who might not know, is an Islamic Republic that already has nuclear weapons. It also has longstanding conflicts with India and is right next door to nuclear wannabe, Iran.

Last year, that country held elections which ousted a military strongman who--for all his faults and limitations--cooperated with the US in the war on Islamist extremism, while keeping a lid on Al Qaeda expansion and anti-Americanism in his country. Many in the West hailed this as a triumph of democracy, forgetting that elections are the last step, not the first to democracy. There followed a veritable cottage industry of apologists who were quick to offer excuses every time the government behaved in an undemocratic, incompetent, or anti-American fashion.

Well, in words made famous by President Obama's former pastor, "the chickens have come home to roost." That government is days away from a complete collapse. Al Qaeda forces are marching through the country like a knife through butter, and the government already has agreed to its demands for a state within a state that imposes Sharia law on populations where it has taken power. The Pakistani government said that this was not "capitulation but the price of peace." Yes, as was unconditional surrender for Germany and Japan in World War II.

The military has given the government the sort of ultimatum that says it's time to start clearing out its desk and looking for asylum in one of those havens for deposed and corrupt rulers. And in fact, it is clear that only a military takeover will prevent an Al Qaeda takeover of nuclear Pakistan. Meanwhile, politicians are squabbling, calling each other traitors, and threatening to action against one another instead of acting against their common enemy.

People expect the military to take power in Pakistan around March 16. Unfortunately, that will only delay the Islamist victory there, especially with senior elements in the military and in Pakistani intelligence already sympathetic to that end. This could pose a serious if not grave threat to the United States and our allies. But do we have any indication that our government is acting; or even has a plan?