Pakistan, July 6 -- In Washington, influence is not always measured by the speech that is delivered, the rally that is staged or the slogan that briefly trends online. More often, it is measured by what quietly does not happen: the hostile amendment that never reaches the floor, the pressure campaign that fails to acquire legislative weight, the punitive language that dies before it can become policy.

That is why the defeat of Amendment #961 to H.R. 8800, the FY2027 National Defence Authorization Act, makes for quite an interesting read.

The amendment, offered by Rep Jim McGovern, sought to restrict certain security assistance to Pakistan unless the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, certified that Pakist...