Jake Sullivan has come to the Oval Office to talk about Pakistan. Harris is off trying to improve her image, which could use some help.
S: We need to discuss our relations with Pakistan, Mr. President.
B: What, the malarkey capital of the world?
S: What do you mean by that?
B: Probably the only thing you could get Bush, Barack, and Trump to agree on is how tired they were of dealing with those people and their lies. They lied to me, too. The best thing about being out of Afghanistan is that I don’t have to deal with them anymore.
S: But they’re still there, they still have nuclear weapons, and they’re still being threatened by Islamic terrorists. As much as we might want to ignore them, we can’t.
B: Watch me. Let the Chinese deal with them. If they want to run that part of the world, let them find out how easy it is.
S: But the terrorists, and the nuclear threat.
B: They don’t have any way to deliver their nukes to the United States. They’re less of a threat than North Korea. Anyway, the Pakistani government will lean so heavily in their direction, there won’t be any real difference between the government and the terrorists. That’s the way these things work in the end.
S: They want to make nice with us now that the war is over. They don’t want to be a Chinese client state.
B: So they want to sell themselves to the highest bidder. I don’t have any interest in playing that game. We’re all in with India. The Chinese can have them.
S: Aren’t you worried about the impact of a war over Kashmir?
B: Instead of taking all of the responsibility for preventing a war, we can do a deal with the Chinese. Xi doesn’t want a Kashmir war any more than we do.
S: What do you want me to tell the Pakistanis?
B: That liars never prosper, and that Americans have long memories. (Sullivan leaves.)