Musharraf also had a complaint of his own: His leverage over the tribal militants had slipped because of the US-led war in Iraq.

Foreign fear of the might of the US military, felt throughout the Muslim world immediately after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was dissipating as US troops became increasingly bogged down in Iraq.

Now, he said, tribal leaders who had once cooperated with Musharraf because of his alliance with the Americans saw little reason to be afraid.

"Is that all there is?"

Needless to say, there is something to be said for Hama Rules. Of course, one must always think about how things will look through the lens of history:

According to one who was present, Churchill suddenly blurted out: "Are we animals? Are we taking this too far?"