Pakistan’s Bhutto Assassinated

Posted by Chris Bowers, Open Left at 10:21 AM on December 27, 2007.

This seems bad for Pakistan:

An attack on a political rally killed the Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto near the capital, Islamabad, Thursday. Witnesses said Ms. Bhutto was fired upon at close range before the blast, and an official from her party said Ms. Bhutto was further injured by the explosion, which was apparently caused by a suicide attacker.

Ms. Bhutto was declared dead by doctors at a hospital in Rawalpindi at 6:16 p.m. after the doctors had tried to resuscitate her for thirty-five minutes. She had shrapnel injuries, the doctors said. At least a dozen more people were killed in the attack.

I don't have a huge amount to say about this tragedy, except that I am sure it will be spun as good for Republicans in some way. The tiger attack at the zoo was also good for Republicans, I imagine.

Oh wait, I do have one thing to say about this. I guess this surge didn't work:

The US is seeking to beef up Pakistan's counter-insurgency efforts in the tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan by expanding an American special forces team in the country to train the Frontier Corps and recruiting local militias to take on the insurgents.

The aim is to replicate the Iraq model, in which the Americans recruited, financed and armed local militias against insurgents, firstly in Anbar province and then elsewhere in the country.

Or maybe it did work, since we don't really seem to care if Pakistan is democratic, as long as it is stable. Oh wait-stable countries don't see opposition leaders assassinated...

UPDATE from Paddy @ Cliff Schecter's blog: '08 Presidential Hopefuls React To Bhutto Assasination

Joe S already said this morning on MSNBC that "this is good for Rudy". And now Chris Cillizza is semi-agreeing. Ugh.

The former New York mayor, who was in charge of the city when terrorists struck on Sept. 11, 2001, called the assassination a "tragic event for Pakistan and for democracy in Pakistan."

"Her murderers must be brought to justice, and Pakistan must continue the path back to democracy and the rule of law," Giuliani said in a statement. "Her death is a reminder that terrorism anywhere - whether in New York, London, Tel-Aviv or Rawalpindi - is an enemy of freedom. We must redouble our efforts to win the terrorists' war on us."

Huck?

Republican candidate Mike Huckabee called the turn of event "devastating news for the people of Pakistan, and my prayers go out to them."

"The terrible violence surrounding Pakistan's upcoming election stands in stark contrast to the peaceful transition of power that we embrace in our country through our Constitution," Huckabee said in a statement. "On this sad day, we are reminded that while our democracy has flaws, it stands as a shining beacon of hope for nations and people around the world who seek peace and opportunity through self-government."

Obama-

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama just issued this statement: "I am shocked and saddened by the death of Benazir Bhutto in this terrorist atrocity. She was a respected and resilient advocate for the democratic aspirations of the Pakistani people. We join with them in mourning her loss, and stand with them in their quest for democracy and against the terrorists who threaten the common security of the world."

Tagged as: pakistan, bhutto

Chris Bowers was a full-time editor at MyDD from May 2004 until June 2007. Some of his projects have included the creation of the Liberal Blog Advertising Network, the first scientifically random poll of progressive netroots activists, the Use It Or Lose It campaign, the nation's most accurate forecast of Democratic house pickups in 2006, and the 2006 Googlebomb the Elections campaign.