BUSH MUST ACT

The assassination of Pakistan's Banazir Bhutto is a great crime and possible disaster, but it could also be an amazing opportunity, if only our slowfooted "experts" would get moving.

Right now the violence in Pakistan is due to the fact that most of the Taliban types have taken up refuge there, rather than fight it out with our special forces in Afghanistan. Given Pakistan's nukes, its unstable government, and always dangerous relations with India, this is the proverbial powder keg that could blow at any minute.

But the Bhutto killing may also be the moment of clarity when world leaders might be coaxed into acting responsibly, if someone (like President Bush) pushes hard.

I suggest three things could be done right now to make a terrible situation a lot better.

First, secure from our NATO allies a real committment to the fighting in Afghanistan. So far only the Canandians, Aussies, and Brits actually go with us where the shooting is. But NATO literally has hundreds of thousands of soldiers (currently doing nothing at home) that could be sent into the tribal areas along the borders, to smother the Taliban and probably catch Bin Laden. Now's the time to ask for them.

Second, we need a real deal with Pakistan on who gets the nukes in case of civil breakdown. We've talked about this for years, its time Pakstan publicly took care of this contingency with a treaty. Perhaps something like the old CENTO could be revived so the US could have access to their weapons in an emergency.

And third, the rogue elements in Pakistan's intelligence service need to be purged. I imagine Musharaff is already doing this, taking advantage of the situation, but we need to back him up.

The world is a dangerous place. It just got a lot more dangerous. Let's see if there are any grown-ups left in Washington.