Benazir Bhutto assassinated

[pab]

Benazir Bhutto assassinated#1

Posted: 12/27/07 at 9:35am

"RAWALPINDI, Pakistan — Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated Thursday in a suicide attack that also killed at least 20 others at the end of a campaign rally, aides said.

"The surgeons confirmed that she has been martyred," Bhutto's lawyer Babar Awan said.

A party security adviser said Bhutto was shot in neck and chest as she got into her vehicle to leave the rally in Rawalpindi near the capital Islamabad. A gunman then blew himself up.

"At 6:16 p.m. she expired," said Wasif Ali Khan, a member of Bhutto's party who was at Rawalpindi General Hospital where she was taken after the attack.

Her supporters at the hospital began chanting "Dog, Musharraf, dog," referring to Pakistan's president Pervez Musharraf.
Pakistan's Bhutto Assassinated in Attack

"Smart! And into all those exotic mystiques -- The Kama Sutra and Chinese techniques. I hear she knows more than seventy-five. Call me tomorrow if you're still alive!"

[colleen_lee]

re: Benazir Bhutto assassinated#2

Posted: 12/27/07 at 9:36am

I was just coming to post this.

BBC has a very detailed obituary:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2228796.stm

"You just can't win. Ever. Look at the bright side, at least you are not stuck in First Wives Club: The Musical. That would really suck. " --Sueleen Gay

[Broadway_Bound_Star]

re: Benazir Bhutto assassinated#2

Posted: 12/27/07 at 9:41am

You beat me to it.

This is very disturbing! I'm curious to know what will happen next...

[tazber]

re: Benazir Bhutto assassinated#3

Posted: 12/27/07 at 9:46am

The other guy who was going to run for president will be assassinated.

....but the world goes 'round

[Bluemoon]

re: Benazir Bhutto assassinated#4

Posted: 12/27/07 at 9:49am

And another chapter in Pakistan's bloody history is written. I did think that Bhutto's return in October was pretty much a suicide mission - they barely got her off the tarmac safely. I wonder how much direct involvement Musharraf had in this final attempt.

[pab]

re: Benazir Bhutto assassinated#5

Posted: 12/27/07 at 9:50am

"This is very disturbing! I'm curious to know what will happen next..."

"The Bush administration scrambled Thursday with the implications of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination after having invested significant diplomatic capital in promoting reconciliation between her and President Pervez Musharraf to stabilize its key nuclear armed, anti-terrorism ally."
Bhutto's Death Poses Dilemma for US

"Smart! And into all those exotic mystiques -- The Kama Sutra and Chinese techniques. I hear she knows more than seventy-five. Call me tomorrow if you're still alive!"

[wexy]

re: Benazir Bhutto assassinated#6

Posted: 12/27/07 at 9:56am

There is going to be a lot more blood shed. I agree with Bluemoon about her trip back to Pakistan.

'Take me out tonight where's there's music and there's people and they're young and alive.'

[EponineAmneris]

re: Benazir Bhutto assassinated#7

Posted: 12/27/07 at 10:02am

This is very sad and unfortunate. She was trying so hard to do good. I admire(d) her very much.

"TO LOVE ANOTHER PERSON IS TO SEE THE FACE OF GOD"- LES MISERABLES--- "THERE'S A SPECIAL KIND OF PEOPLE KNOWN AS SHOW PEOPLE... WE'RE BORN EVERY NIGHT AT HALF HOUR CALL!"--- CURTAINS

[mominator]

re: Benazir Bhutto assassinated#8

Posted: 12/27/07 at 10:32am

This is such a scary piece of news. I am on the same page as Moony and taz. I wonder if the Shrub will cut short his Christmas break?

"All I ask of you is one thing: please don't be cynical. I hate cynicism -- it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen." Conan O'Brien

[tazber]

re: Benazir Bhutto assassinated#9

Posted: 12/27/07 at 10:33am

I don't know enough about her or Pakistani politics to admire her and this sort of thing is always tragic, but wasn't she exiled for corruption?

....but the world goes 'round

[PalJoey]

re: Benazir Bhutto assassinated#10

Posted: 12/27/07 at 10:34am

I wonder how much direct involvement Musharraf had in this final attempt.

Clearly the Pakistani people who are shouting "Die, Musharraf, dog" assume he was involved.

But Fox News has already started saying what Bush will want us to think: that Al Qaeda not Bush-ally Musharraf is behind it.

[PalJoey]

re: Benazir Bhutto assassinated#11

Posted: 12/27/07 at 10:45am

Rudy's already sounding the "Terr'ists did it" refrain:

"The assassination of Benazir Bhutto is 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. 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."

OMG! OMG! The terr'ists are coming! The terr'ists are coming!

[Bluemoon]

re: Benazir Bhutto assassinated#12

Posted: 12/27/07 at 11:11am

Taz - the corruption charges were false and were manuafactured during both of her administrations by her enemies.One of the conditions of her return was an agreement to expunge the charges.

PJ - this has always had Musharraf's fingerprints all over it. They can look elsewhere if they want, but they'll be breaking their necks to avoid the obvious.

[YouWantitWhen????]

re: Benazir Bhutto assassinated#13

Posted: 12/27/07 at 11:14am

This made me a bit sick this morning.

[iHeartMyGeek]

re: Benazir Bhutto assassinated#14

Posted: 12/27/07 at 11:18am

Wow. How sad and frightening.

I'm going to be interested to see the U.S.'s reaction to this. If PJ is right and the terrorist witch hunts are going to begin, it'll be something to see who reacts and in what way.

"I can't figure out what kind of life this is, comedy or tragedy, I just know it's showbiz. And what if I don't agree with the lines I have to read? They don't pay me enough, the way I see it."

[YouWantitWhen????]

re: Benazir Bhutto assassinated#15

Posted: 12/27/07 at 11:23am

"Going to begin" - it has been going on since 9/11.

The bigger concern is that Pakistan, an already unstable dictatorship, who provides Al Qaeda a safe haven in its border regions, and who has nuclear weapons (as well as a long standing feud with India who also has nuclear weapons) may now spiral into full scale civil war.

This is bad on so many different levels - for the people of Pakistan, for the region, and for those of us who believe that violence is not the only solution.

This could be bad. Really really bad.

[PalJoey]

re: Benazir Bhutto assassinated#16

Posted: 12/27/07 at 11:26am

And just last week Congress slapped Musharraf in the face by turning off the $10 BILLION blank check Bush and Cheney wrote for him after 9/11.

The crimes committed by our government over the past 8 years will fill history books for all eternity...and all of them were predicted by Orwell.

===

Congress Sets Limits on Aid to Pakistan
Bill Withholds $50 Million Until U.S. Confirms Islamabad Is Reinstating Rights

By Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 20, 2007; Page A24

Congress yesterday slapped restrictions on military aid to Pakistan and withheld $50 million of the administration's $300 million request until Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice can certify that Islamabad is restoring democratic rights, including an independent judiciary.

The congressional move went further than the administration's own review of aid to Pakistan after the Nov. 3 declaration of emergency powers by President Pervez Musharraf. In a decision that received little notice, the administration decided earlier this month to stop making an annual $200 million cash payment to the Pakistani government, instead converting those funds to programs for Pakistan that will be administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The congressional aid restrictions were buried in the omnibus spending bill approved yesterday by the House and the Senate and sent to President Bush. Though Musharraf has lifted emergency rule and resigned as army chief, lawmakers intended to signal that they want to link aid to Islamabad to demonstrated progress on human rights. Pakistan has received about $10 billion in U.S. aid since 2001, though the administration maintains that about half of that is to reimburse Pakistan for expenses incurred in the fight against terrorist groups.

[more at link]

Congress Sets Limits on Aid to Pakistan: Bill Withholds $50 Million Until U.S. Confirms Islamabad Is Reinstating Rights

Updated On: 12/27/07 at 11:26 AM

[Unknown User]

re: Benazir Bhutto assassinated#17

Posted: 12/27/07 at 11:33am

i dont have anything to add & i dont wanna snark.
coz this is really bad.

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

#18

Posted: 12/27/07 at 11:37am

My avatar is a reminder to myself. I need lots of reminders...

Updated On: 12/23/09 at 11:37 AM

[HDThoreau2]

Liberal Derangement Syndrome#19

Posted: 12/27/07 at 11:40am

Liberal recovery: When you people stop thinking everything is George Bush's fault.

If Tom DeLay is The Hammer, then I proclaim a new title for the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi: The Briber. Nancy Pelosi had to bribe her members with spinach to get their votes.

[Bluemoon]

Liberal Derangement Syndrome#20

Posted: 12/27/07 at 11:42am

I agree, Son. I'm not at all optimist about an agreement, though, nor a stop to the bloodshed even if one existed.

[Unknown User]

no header please#21

Posted: 12/27/07 at 11:43am

Hey HD help us out and explain how this is CLINTON'S Fault- like everything else.

And while you're at it, tell me where ANYONE blamed Bush, k?
Updated On: 12/27/07 at 11:43 AM

[tazber]

no header please#22

Posted: 12/27/07 at 11:47am

thanks for clarifying moonie.

....but the world goes 'round

[PalJoey]

Benazir Bhutto assassinated#23

Posted: 12/27/07 at 11:49am

The Pakistani military and secret service are longtime allies of the Taliban leaders, dating back to when Pakistan was the Taliban's greatest ally. The Bush administration enabled the Taliban by sending $10 billion to Musharraf.

Now rumor is Musharraf will declare martial law. It's the oldest trick in the book:

1. Assassinate opposition figure.

2. Simultaneously explode bomb.

3. Blame mysterious "evildoers."

4. Quell ensuing riots.

5. Declare martial law.

6. Suspend elections.

It could never happen here, right?

[HDThoreau2]

Liberal Derangement Syndrome#24

Posted: 12/27/07 at 12:03pm

You are not yet ready for recovery.

If Tom DeLay is The Hammer, then I proclaim a new title for the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi: The Briber. Nancy Pelosi had to bribe her members with spinach to get their votes.