The ISI: The New Soviet Union

This story about the ISI (Pakistan's national intelligence agency) and how terrible they are is getting spread around all over the place, including here and here. (Last night Kevin Drum wrote "If World War III ever breaks out, I will not be surprised to learn that it was somehow started by the ISI"-- sounds a little bit over-the-top to me.) But we in the public, of course, usually aren't privy to all the dirty doings of foreign intelligence agencies, until years after-the-fact when regime-ending events like the fall of the Berlin wall prompt secrets to come out and, in turn, people to write books about them.

So what might be the reason this detail is coming out? To put pressure on Pakistan?

To me it all seems like a distraction from Osama. I have no doubt that the ISI is bad, doesn't like us, and isn't on our side, but they're not the ones who sent people over here to do a terrorist attack on us.

I'd like to hear more about how we're hunting and catching Osama, but of course, most of us having been waiting to hear that for going-on seven years.