A Little Of The Old In And Out



(image via daylife)

In: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. The subject of the principle of law in Pakistan has fascinated this blogger for some time. A year ago it would have been more likely for Dick Wolf to export the popular television show Law and Order to Pakistan than for there to be actual law and order in that unstable nuclear nation that is a chief ally of ours in the war on terror.

The pendulum swings. From The Montreal Gazette:

"Lawyers as national heroes? It happened last weekend in Pakistan - again - as elements of the legal class marched to demand what amounts to the return of the rule of law. And ultimately the man blocking that return, President Asif Ali Zardari, abandoned his intransigence, because the national roar of outrage, though peaceful, revealed a depth of indignation that could not be resisted.

"This long-running issue in Pakistani politics now seems to be resolved: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and other top judges, deposed unconstitutionally by the country's former military dictator Pervez Musharraf, will get their jobs back on Saturday, Zardari's prime minister announced. The decision came at the end of a long tense weekend as opposition forces demanded, in a growing wave of protest, that Zardari keep his promise. Zardari's government overplayed its hand, cracking down with hundreds of arrests. The voices of protest only grew louder - and Zardari, prodded by the army, some say, finally did the right thing."

It has always been the opinion of this blog that even as we deal with the Pakistan military (read: nuclear weapons), we ought always to have been speaking and helping the lawyers movement. If Pakistan ever becomes a true democracy, it will be through a strong and stable legal foundation and a court system that is stronger than its military.



(portrait of a CEO as a smug man via paidcontent)

Out: Jeff Zucker. Clearly, a CEO is not going to be disloyal publicly to his brand. Still, to hear Jeff Zucker offer up such a generic apologetic against Jon Stewart -- so contrary to conventional wisdom -- it is disappointing. from PaidContent:

"NBC Universal (NYSE: GE) CEO Jeff Zucker, in a Q&A with Ellen Pollock, executive editor, BusinessWeek, opened the McGraw-Hill Media Summit by taking on Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart, who on the Daily Show last week took CNBC and one of its main stars, Mad Money host Jim Cramer, to task for not doing more to be in front of the economic collapse.

"... 'I think Jon Stewart was incredibly unfair to CNBC and to the business media in general. Everybody wants to find a scapegoat. I’m upset that my 401(k) isn’t what it was. But to suggest that CNBC is responsible is absurd. Last year, Jim Cramer was out in front during two days in particular, when he went after Ben Bernanke. He told viewers six months ago to go to cash now. It’s like holding BusinessWeek responsible for Nov. 2007 for suggesting that AIG was the best stock to buy. You can’t look at any singular call that CNBC or Jim Cramer makes. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve done.'"

And, worse, from Jon Fine's Tweet:

"...Nbc uni's zucker on leno at 10 pm: 'this is not a ratings play...I don't think we'll ever say nbc' is tops in primetime.' Wow ..nbcuni's zucker: 'I don't wanna say ratings don't matter. They do. But they are not the only gauge of success.' Doublewow!"