While I was not privileged to be the proverbial fly on the wall at the banquet, the alleged "serious dialogue" probably centred around the weather (it was raining!), the cutlery, the menu, George W’s beloved cur Barney, the demented Tsars (Bush must have mugged that bit of history) and other such weighty subjects. President Musharraf’s prolonged mischief on the LoC must have been mentioned en passant before Atalji’s smart bandgala was taken up and the address of the tailor obtained.
Press reports inform us that George W and Atal B had an "animated conversation" lasting several, indeed, 10 whole minutes. It is possible but highly unlikely. Our prime minister has many sterling virtues, for which his subjects remain eternally grateful, but partaking in "animated conversation" is not one of them. Neither is the supreme leader of our planet capable of lengthy discourse without the benefit of an autocue. So, we can confidently assume that after Bush complimented Atalji on his generous initiative, Mr Vajpayee made the cross-border terrorism complaint. To which Mr Dubya said something like: "Don’t worry. I’ll have a word with Mush when he meets me at Camp David next month." If that banter constitutes a breakthrough, Indo-Pak peace hangs perilously.
What President Bush did not tell Prime Minister Vajpayee, and what US officials from Colin Powell downwards have been consistently and bluntly telling South Block is that the US has invested too heavily in Pervez Musharraf to pressure him very hard on any issue. A nudge yes, pressure no. Dinner party pressure, however, is another matter.