I Feel Their Pain

A public opinion poll in the world's most dangerous trouble spot, Pakistan, shows that most people want Pervez Musharraf to resign, and practically everyone expects massive vote rigging.

And yet, Musharraf is still President, and the election will be held, and that will be that.

The only difference between the despair in Pakistan and the despair stateside is that the Pakistanis might actually act on it.

Pakistan’s two main opposition leaders, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, each a former prime minister, are already accusing Mr. Musharraf of fixing the vote in advance and vowing protests if he prevails.

“If elections are rigged, we are going to need to be in a position like the people of Ukraine were, to protest those elections,” Ms. Bhutto said at a news conference last week. “A plan is under way to rig the elections, and to stop progress towards democracy.”