Petreaus and Pakistan

The NYT is making hay about the fact that Pakistan might be upset with Obama for appointing Petraeus to be head of the CIA.  Why?  Because Petraeus, in his position as COMISAF, has been unhappy that Pakistan has not been very helpful in the fight against the Haqqani network.  Pakistanis may see his appointment as CIA director as a slight, but that would make them just a bit less narcisstic than I am.  I am pretty sure that the CIA is not just about Pakistan.

But more importantly, it is hard to see how such an appointment would worsen relations with Pakistan, given how abysmal they already are.  I mean, my readers are normally big fans of Pakistan, yet most considered it to be the worst US ally in one of the most poorly designed surveys on the web. 

I do not know whether Obama took Pakistan's concerns into account when he chose Petraeus, but I would guess that he had other priorities than offending a country that is supporting folks who are killing American soldiers and marines.  Yes, Pakistan has a few cards left to play, such as blocking the flow of supplies to the troops in Afghanistan, but then again so does the US.  The two countries need each other and cannot stand each other.  All I can say is that it is not going to get any easier or better in the near future.