Reaction to U.S. Response on Pakistan

Monday, Nov. 5, 2007 | 8:08 a.m.

Reaction to the Bush administration's review of assistance to Pakistan in light of President Pervez Musharraf decision to impose a state of emergency.

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"So much has happened over the last several years to try and pull Pakistan away from extremism, to try to launch Pakistan on a democratic path, to launch Pakistan on a path toward the return to civilian rule. And our disappointment is that this is a setback for that path. And so the more quickly and the more urgently that the Pakistani leadership and President Musharraf act on their stated desire to get back to a constitutional path, it will be for the better of everyone, most especially for the Pakistani people." - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

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"We are reviewing all of our assistance programs, although we are mindful not to do anything that would undermine ongoing counterterrorism efforts." - Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

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"Pakistan will only be a reliable and capable ally against terrorism when its government is not seen as an enemy by its own people. The interests of the United States are best advanced by policies that do not promote one goal at the expense of the other." - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

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"Americans should value President Musharraf's friendship and Pakistan's help in the war on terror, but this cannot sway us from our concern for Pakistani democracy." - Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

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"Starting this weekend, we have seen a crisis unfold in Pakistan, where a leader that the administration has considered a partner in the fight against terrorism and extremism has taken steps to reverse course away from the path to democracy and has suspended fundamental human rights in the process. This unfolding crisis must be watched very carefully, and we must be prepared to respond to protect our security and national interests." - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

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"The administration basically has a weak and ineffective response." - Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M.

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"As politics in Pakistan continue evolving, we should not rush to abandon Musharraf but work with him to get Pakistan back on the path toward democracy, including the release of political dissidents and the reinstatement of the supreme court." - Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.

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"Stability in Pakistan is of utmost importance to the United States and the world. ... America should be using our direct aid as well as our diplomatic arsenal as diplomatic sticks to defuse the situation in Pakistan and to restore stability and constitutionalism to Pakistan." - Former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C.