In the twilight of George W. Bush's presidency, there is an unseemly rush in Washington and New Delhi to seal a contentious but far-from-complete civil nuclear deal, even as that issue has landed India in a political crisis.
To help secure a much-needed feather for the empty caps of President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, moves are afoot to ram through the approvals the deal still needs from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers' Group and — at the very end — the U.S. Congress, which has to ratify the final package.
Yet, three years after it was unveiled with fanfare as an epoch-making accord, the deal's final shape remains unclear and its future uncertain. Little time is left for the deal to win the remaining approvals during the Bush presidency. But rather than leave the final say to a future Barack Obama or John McCain administration — and a new Indian government — the two lame-duck heads of government, Bush and Singh, are seeking to make a final dash to wrap up the deal.