There are all kinds of important news items about Pakistan in the dailies this morning, including revelations about a heretofore secret U.S. program to secure the country's nuclear weapons, a renewed interest in adding some oversight to the billions of dollars the Bush administration gives Pervez Musharraf for counter-terrorism efforts (which may not actually exist), and the fruitless efforts to convince Musharraf to declare a date for the end of his de facto martial law.

But the story that stood out for me was this gem about President Bush once again misjudging a foreign leader's soul.

In the six years since Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, joined President Bush in the fight against Al Qaeda, it has been an unlikely partnership: a president intent on promoting democracy and a military commander who seized power in a bloodless coup.

Mr. Bush has repeatedly called Gen. Musharraf "a friend." In 2003, the president invited the general to Camp David, a presidential perk reserved for the closest of allies. Last year, at the general's insistence, Mr. Bush risked a trip to Pakistan, jangling the nerves of the Secret Service by spending the night in the country presumed to be home to Osama bin Laden.

But now that the general has defied the White House, suspending Pakistan's Constitution and imposing emergency rule, old tensions are flaring anew. Mr. Bush is backing away from the leader he once called a man of "courage and vision," and critics are asking whether the president misread his Pakistani counterpart.

You think?

It's worth noting, from time to time, that among this president's many glaring misjudgments is a stunningly weak capacity for judging characters. He looked into Vladimir Putin's eyes and admired his "soul." Closer to home, Bush was equally quick to embrace men like Donald Rumsfeld, Alberto Gonzales, and Dick Cheney.

I'm reminded of this Ron Suskind piece from 2004:

The president chose Bernard Kerik to lead the Department of Homeland Security because he was "a good man," an intangible, gut-check standard that the president also applies to judicial nominees and world leaders.

After seven years of failures, one would like to think that perhaps Bush would start ignoring his "gut." It clearly hasn't served him well.