Out here in California during Xmas week (waking up at a tardy 7:30), I was the last on my virtual block to learn of the Bhutto assassination. Of course, in the Islamic world we expect these things to happen via suicide bombings, because collateral damage is not considered – or even considered to be collateral. The more the merrier in the name of God.
Since all politics is semi-local, it will be interesting to see what ramifications this event has on domestic presidential politics. The Ron Paul Cult seems pretty absurd in the face of all this. The idea that America can retract into itself in the face of this insanity is, well, insane, but they are, as I said, a cult, so they will likely behave as such. For the more normal candidates the results may be different. Voter interest, I should think, will be refocused on the problems of the world, even though much of the electorate would not have been able to identify Benazir Bhutto. But many do know that Pakistan is nuclear. At least I hope they do.
Sorry to be parochial in the face of such a tragedy, but those are the times in which we live. “Interesting,” as the Chinese curse goes.
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12 Comments
1. Ripper:Pakistan is a failed state (the Left loves to refer to Israel as a failed state so I am returning the favor).
Dec 27, 2007 - 9:51 am 2. David Thomson:I belong to the school of thought that believes the MSM will push this story off the front pages as quickly as possible. Issues concerning violence in the world only help Republicans. They are usually the only one who have anything sensible to say on these matters. The Democrats are dishonest pacifists.
In the next few days, we will hear how President Bush’s policies resulted in the assassination of Ms. Bhutto. Bill Richardson is already sounding like the proverbial village idiot. Soon thereafter, the MSM will subtly change the subject.
Dec 27, 2007 - 12:14 pm 3. actor212:collateral damage is not considered – or even considered to be collateral.
I’m guessing you missed “We had to burn the village to save it”…grow up, Roger Hell. Maybe you’ll get a script published one day. Again. Maybe.
Dec 27, 2007 - 12:46 pm 4. Jay Stranahan:I am deeply grieved by this. My head and heart are in accord. They both feel very very grim about the act itself and what it presages.
I first saw this woman interviewed when I was in high school, during the Reagan administration, and she struck me at once as a very smart tough cookie. Not pro-American or pro-Western, but pro-Pakistani — an authentic patriot. I’ve liked her ever since, and been willing to give her the benefit of the doubt with regard to whatever pies her fingers may have dabbled in…
I helped a Pakistani coworker pick up some furniture from a liquidation sale at a warehouse last year, and the guys doing the loading were also Pakistani. Some haggling took place, forty dollars changed hands, and Waqar’s furniture jumped to the front of the line. We got out of there in twenty minutes instead of three hours. It made me angry to see this sort of tribal crap bleeding over into my own high-trust society… but I also understood it, and said nothing. I understood the same about Bhutto.
What a horrific loss. What a foul, stupid way to usher in a new year. God rest her and keep her, and bring the sensible four-fifths of her nation some measure of surcease. And may the northern fifth be bombed flat — God willing, or Whoever.
Dec 27, 2007 - 1:19 pm 5. Lem:It may not be a nice thing to say but…
It was reckless and perhaps even selfish of her to put people in danger over and over and over again.
Dec 27, 2007 - 1:35 pm 6. WorkinStiff:The “We had to burn the village in order to save it”,phrase was created out of whole cloth by a lefty reporter…No officer in Vietnam ever uttered such nonsense…It was just what the anti-war left wanted to hear so they took it and ran with it..
Dec 27, 2007 - 2:34 pm 7. jrdroll:Roger I just saw the other Simon on Chris Mathews.
Dec 27, 2007 - 5:03 pm 8. dryfuss:He needs more than a fedora to help him maybe a cluebat. Happy New Year to you and yours
I remember another great women who wanted peace in the area, Golda Meier and here we are today so many years later with another wonderful women wanting only peace again for her country. Does it really make sense and stop the cause of democratic freedom to have eliminated her and those other victims
in the area? Will it ever stop, I fear not.
Lem, What was selfish was those who caused this ugly act, When you are the hopeful leader of people who want freedom and a
democratic way of life you cannot run from the dangers confronting you. Her safty was not as it should have been and we
will hear more about what went wrong regarding the protection.
Ms Bhutto was neither selfish nor reckless, but a hero to those who
Dec 27, 2007 - 6:30 pm 9. Lem:followed her all these years.
Salman Rushdie has managed to remain alive for almost twenty years with a fatwa calling for his death.
In my mind Rushdie is as much a ‘hero’ if not more for not accomodating the jihadist.
Dec 27, 2007 - 7:09 pm 10. chrisa798:Lem,
Can you please document all the times that Rushdie has delivered political speeches in public in Pakistan over the last 10 years?
I admire and support Rushdie, but your invoking his name (evidently extracted directly from your sunshine-less regions) to try to extricate yourself from losing the exchange on Bhutto is pretty weak.
Dec 28, 2007 - 3:14 am 11. chrisa798:Well done, WorkinStiff.
Dec 28, 2007 - 3:16 am 12. Lem:charisa vajate de esa nube y vuelve a la realidad.
We rather have a strong leader over there and everybody knows it.
She would have been weak and thats the last thing we need now!
Dec 28, 2007 - 1:16 pm