Read Juan Cole on the Pakistani elections and the defeat of Musharraf's party. "Bottom line," writes Cole, "the Pakistani public has demonstrated a dislike of extremism, including religious extremism, awarding a plurality of seats in the national legislature to secular parties and the rest to right-of-center parties, but roundly rejecting the fundamentalists...[Musharraf] is in for a bumpy ride and it would be much better for everyone if he would recognize the writing on the wall and step down."
