Is there anything else going on besides coverage of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto? I've read the Washington Post story online. I've read various commentaries on commentaries - the kind of meta-meta-stuff that certainly fills airtime, while providing nothing of real substance. Yet, the simple truth is this - it is neither surprising, nor particularly important, except to the extent that one could actually trust Prevez Musharaf to actually carry through on anything.
The biggest irony of all is something that has been lost down the memory hole of our ADHD major media. Early in campaign 2000, Pres. Bush was interviewed for an article in which one item in particular stood out for criticism from "press critics" who thought the journalist who did the interview was mean to then-Governor Bush. Bush was asked who was the leader of Pakistan. This occurred a few months after Musharaf took power in a coup d'etat. Bush answered that he didn't know. Much of the "criticism", which complained of shallow "gotcha-journalism", missed the point that while Bush may not have known the details of the internal politics of Pakistan, he certainly should have known what many well-informed American citizens knew. In light of the centrality of Pakistan to our foreign policy, such as it has been, for the past seven years, knowing who led that country, and how he came to power, might, in retrospect, be considered important.
In any event, Bhutto is dead, like her brothers and father. The country to which she dedicated her life sinks further in to sectarian violence coupled with authoritarianism, and, as dday at Hullabaloo notes, American policy in South Asia is basically in tatters.
UPDATE: You know, Rudy Giuliani getting all narcissistic about the Bhutto assassination is one thing. Now, the Democrats are getting in on the act, taking this tragic event and turning it in to a reflection on their Presidential primary campaigns.
Jesus on a chariot-driven sidecar.
It would have been the better part of valor for Sen. Clinton at least to show that she has the maturity to shut the hell up, after Sen. Obama's stupid comment. This is one instance where the kind of war-room, instant response kind of politicking is wrong. It would have been much better to just make a condolence statement, to show what real statesmanship (statespersonship?) is like. This is politics at its most stupid.
