Said Musharraf, in his (for lack of an adequate term) "inaugural address," "My dear countrymen, the choice before us on 12th October was between saving the body, that is the nation, at the cost of losing a limb, which is the Constitution; or saving the limb and losing the whole body." BINGO! That's exactly the problem with Pakistan. The constitution of any true democracy is not merely a limb, but rather, the heart. Cut off my leg? I'll buy a pair of crutches. Cut off my heart, and I'm worm food. Until someone in the former British colony realizes this, democracy in Pakistan is DOA.

True, Musharraf vows to restore the constitution. However, in his infinite wisdom, or should I say, authority, it appears that he's reconstructing that severed constitutional limb we spoke of earlier with six, prosthetic, non-elected hands: A "Think Tank of Advisors" to the official presidential cabinet that will make sure the official government officials walk the straight and narrow. Musharraf is known to be a keen admirer of Abraham Lincoln, and keeps his writings close at hand. Wait a minute, is it Honest Abe he admires, or "X Files" creator Chris Carter? Because Musharraf's Think Tank is eerily reminiscent of the "X Files" episode in which a bunch of conspirators are in a room determining destiny. You know, little things, from who the next president's going to be to who's going to win the Super Bowl. All kidding aside, I want to know whom this special council answers to, and who appoints them to their lofty positions, once Musharraf relinquishes control of the country back to elected officials (i.e., we, the people), as promised.

Look, I'm not suggesting that Musharraf is conspiring to turn over the genetic codes of his 143 million citizens to a band of conquering extra-terrestrials. I am saying that although Prime Minister Sharif was no Mother Theresa, the General's indefinite suspension of, and further meddling with, the constitution puts him on the opposite side of the same constitutionally subverted coin as Sharif. Far be it from me to advise a career military man on how to conduct a revolution; but how about starting with calling it just that: a revolution. A few guys in New Delhi might get a little skittish, but think about what it will do for your credibility with the likes of Monday morning coup leaders like myself. Seriously, it's no secret that the recently deposed government was corrupt. So, if you want to reverse the corruption, then by all means, start over. Since you've shown an affinity for American History, don't limit your studies to Lincoln. Back in the late 1700s, the United States, a few years into the democratic experiment, decided that its government wasn't working. Nobody suspended anything. A constitutional convention was convened, and elected representatives threw the whole damn thing out.

Pervez, buddy, your people were getting screwed? I hear ya, man. As Spike Lee would say, do the right thing. Don't suspend your constitution. Dump it. Create a new one – a better one. Put in place a government that guarantees the liberty of its citizens, checks the power of its elected officials, and provides adequate recourse for eliminating those who ignore your new and improved laws. A constitution is not the path of a nation, as you said, but rather, it is the soul. Feel free to cleanse your soul – give Benny Hinn a call if it makes you feel any better. Just don't patronize the true spirit of democracy with talk of temporary constitutional suspension. True democracy will never survive under the threat of military revocation. After all, the next guy holding the trigger may not be as nice of a dictator as you are.