The ability of our leadership to ignore even the biggest fiasco is beginning to assume legendary proportions. For months, till the day the uniform finally came off, President Musharraf made every conceivable excuse for donning it on that fateful March day. Not to be outdone, Mr Premier has totally ignored the colossal faux-pas committed on the auspicious occasion of the declaration of his 100 day legacy. A fine century it has turned out to be, as we know so well. Not chastened, brave men seldom are, he took some forceful, "long-lasting", historic decisions, of course in the national interest, but also to impress upon all and sundry, especially the latter, that he was not, repeat not, a "toothless" tiger. Egged on and craftily convinced of invincibility and longevity he decided to go for the jugular. Only to find out, a few hours later in the lap of London's luxury, that his master stroke had missed the mark. And he discovered he was kind of perpetually stuck with the responsibility for the alleged ogre despite his advisor's attempts to "rescue" him. All just a few hours prior to the long-awaited tryst with his destiny. That too has come and gone without much fanfare. A rather lacklustre event considering the importance attached to the deliverance's of the incumbent of that wonderful house in White. I pity him for being hit by the crescendo of Do More. Your first trip and it is difficult even to comprehend the local lingo leave alone an alien Qawwali that is a monotonous repetition of two specific words. He was at a total loss. When Ms Info caught the premier looking bewildered and seeking the non-existent teleprompter (as he had done on PTV), not to be caught napping again, she hastened to whisper in not so chaste Punjabi what the cacophony was. Of course, being a self-confessed Churchillian, he quickly regained the famous composure and ably absorbed the pre-conceived ranting of his host. Unfortunately, as is the case with most beleaguered visitors to the White House, he came away with very little of significance. In fact beyond saying what was demanded he even added "our war" to further ingratiate the process. But you can't just blame him; his predecessors have more or less suffered the same treatment. There is no denying that this is probably the most picture perfect photo opportunity in the political world. Sitting here, one urged America to finally see the writing on the wall. Instead of conducting that painful orchestra, one willed it to take some of the sting away from the Pakistani leader and make a serious attempt to help him overcome this dreadful economic crunch the country finds itself in. That certainly didn't happen. Considering that the PM was accompanied by every one of the "deal makers" I find this surprising. In fact, the statement on the White House lawns said nothing (Sovereignty) we didn't know already. It was later that a commitment of $115 Million as food aid appeared; $32 Million of this coming in the next six months to ten months. This is one of those terrific American fallacies where the impact is only one paper and never really generates the substance that is the desperate need. When we talk of economic assistance, we mean significant investments in the social sectors, long and short-term, in the country's natural endowments, in its culture, in its industrial and commercial core so that economic activity spins the nation together. All we get is loose threads split at the ends. A real chore to manage. While the endless "do more" drones on. That's there and we are here. Ignoring reality is fast running out of time. One fact is quite clear. Back seat driving does not deliver the goods. The last five years of Musharraf provide ample evidence. In the initial years when the general was chief executive there was order and there was direction. The moment he played convoluted democracy while still ruling the roost it began to unravel. He was forced to work through agents who had their own agendas and these agents had their own agents with their personal agendas. The result: this complete mess that we are living. If one was to ask Zardari he would most likely be condemning this government for going too slow. He, therefore, needs to address the situation. For this government to function and for the coalition to stay intact it is imperative that back seat driving cease immediately. He should become prime minister and we should all urge him to do so. Only then will things happen. Logic sees the writing clearly on the wall. Till this point Mian Nawaz Sharif's graph has benefited by the inability of this government to achieve given and mandated objectives. His graph will continue to rise, for now, but a time will come when peoples' patience will run out and this graph will plateau. At that time people will wonder whether there is more to the delay than meets the eye; whether Nawaz is part of a deal himself. It will then begin to drop. The Sharifs are too astute to let this happen with the huge future ahead. Therefore before this stage is reached he will stop offering the proverbial "other cheek". It is then that the real games will begin. The fear of the unknown has filled the Pakistani psyche today. The battle before the government is huge. One is in a quandary as to why the entire focus continues on political micro-management rather than on operational governance. The only place this is happening is in the Punjab where the chief minister has taken the bull by the horns. Each aspect of government is under review and action, as reported in the press, is being taken on a daily basis. Social sector issues are being given deserved priority. Full marks under this pressure for setting it aside and giving it the best shot. A recent article talked of thinking of tomorrow. It evoked a sensitive nerve. When have our leaders thought or planned for tomorrow? India got a constitution within a few days after partition. We floundered till 1973. Wajid Shamsul Hasan recently wrote that BB prepared the constitution for the PPP-P in an hour in his presence Well if that be the case could Pakistan's constitution not have been prepared in the long lead up to partition? Tomorrow is synonymous with pure rhetoric in this environment. What sounds good is said. No methodology or path has ever been revealed. Look right through history since 1947. Ad-hoc measures, impulsive steps and Goebelesque gab feasts have attempted to drown the grief and plight of the hapless people. Musharraf had his chances. Scores of them and he blew them. Someone the other day wrote that he is once again on the front-foot. I would nuance that. Cricket has another word for where he is on the crease now, half-cock. Means neither back-foot or nor front-foot. But if the politicos keep going as they are, they might find he can hit a six even from right here. Credibility is a factor that is becoming increasingly absent on the Pakistan scene. Confronted with it, one tends to turn ones face away in disgust. Just as you do when addressed at close distance by someone suffering from disgusting halitosis. The writer is a Karachi-based political and economic analyst E-mail: imranmhusain@gmail.com