Pakistan's Supreme Court throws wrench into terror fight
McClatchy NewspapersDecember 16, 2009   ISLAMABAD — Pakistan's
Supreme Court struck down a political amnesty law Wednesday and
ordered corruption cases against the country's pro-Western
President, Asif Ali Zardari, and thousands of other politicians
reopened.  The decision throws Pakistan, a crucial ally in the
U.S. war against Islamic extremists, into a political crisis
that's likely to undermine Zardari, divert his government and
strengthen the country's military leaders, who so far have
disregarded the Obama administration's requests to move against
al Qaida, Afghan militants based in Pakistan and Pakistani
militant groups.  Marvin Weinbaum, a former State Department
intelligence analyst who's now with the Washington-based Middle
East Institute, said the high court ruling will neutralize
Zardari and could force him to resign.  "He's toast," Weinbaum
said of Zardari. Weinbaum added that he expects decision-making
power increasingly would revert to Pr