But obviously, uncle didn't need any prompting. He launched into his routine about three stages of democracy. He claimed he was about to launch the third and final phase of democracy (the way he said it, he managed to make it sound like the Final Solution). And just when you thought he was about to make his point, he took an abrupt turn and plunged into a deep pool of self pity.
This involved a long-winded anecdote about how the Supreme Court judges would rather attend a colleagues' daughter's wedding rather than just get it over with and decide that he is a constitutional President.
As I said, I have heard some dictator speeches in my life, but nobody has gone so far as to mention someone's daughter's wedding for imposing martial law in the country.
I never expected Musharaff to explain his decision. And no, its not because he couldn't think of any good reasons - after all, you can rationalize pretty much anything - but because it was so obviously done to save his ass that any other explanation would have sounded false.
When you know reason is not going to work, what do you do? You turn to rhetoric. A speech full of impassioned and senseless vitriol proclaiming that the judiciary was standing in his way as he tried to eliminate the evil terrorists and single handedly save the nation was to be expected.
But speeches like those require fire. You do not whine that people aren't scared of you. You do not cry that your officers aren't immune from the law. And most importantly, you do not sound anything like Musharaff sounded on that day. You give a rallying cry to the country to follow you, their messiah. Any speech writer would have known as much. Mushi in his supreme arrogance decided to do away with him. After all, who cares about syntax when addressing their slaves? Seems like the proverbial pride before the fall. No?
(Counterpunch link via Amitava Kumar)
