ALTHOUGH the month-long gap between the Supreme Court short order and detailed judgment on the NRO had not done much to tone down the angry rhetoric of PPP leaders, including the President, there was some hope that, as the realisation to accept, without demur, judicial verdicts sinks in, the reaction would mellow down. After all, there is so much noise in the air raised by them and their coalition partners, warning of dangers to the democratic system, and, if anything, respect for the rule of law and Constitution is an imperative requirement for this system to grow and stand on its feet. Unfortunately, an attitude of blaming the media and political opponents for their insistence upon leadership to conform to this fundamental practice in vogue in democracies the world over is very much in evidence. Theories of conspiracies of the pen - an obvious reference to newspapers - and snipers - a probable allusion to the opposition - have been voiced by no less a person than the President himself. While his remark, We did not come into power from the backdoor, is unquestionably correct, it does not relieve the rulers of the absolute necessity to abide by the law. Rather, it should be even more obligatory for them to remove any dark shadow on their conduct; theirs is an example for the rest of the nation to follow. Recounting the good deeds of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the context of nationwide criticism hardly seems pertinent. Pakistan is caught up in a mesh of crises, both external and internal. With the so-called friendly US coming out in true colours and constantly breathing down our neck, it simply cannot afford to have another crisis that could threaten the countrys stability. For that, the President has to restrain himself and not throw caution to the wind. His utterances have far-reaching meanings and ought not to be based on flimsy arguments. One should expect Mr Zardari to lead the way towards the goal of establishing democracy on a firm footing.