Posted on 12/27/2007 12:37:26 PM PST by mdittmar
Presidential candidates mourned Thursday’s killing of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto and urged the country to remain calm, while some Democrats took issue with the Bush administration’s long-standing support of Pakistan’s leader Pervez Musharraf.
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) called Bhutto’s death “a tragedy for her country,” and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) released a statement calling Bhutto “a respected and resilient advocate for the democratic aspirations of the Pakistani people.”
Former senator John Edwards (D-N.C.) said her assassination was a “cowardly act."
“At this critical moment, America must convey both strength and principle,” said Edwards. “We should do everything in our power to help bring the perpetrators of this heinous act to justice and to ensure that Bhutto's movement toward democracy continues.”
Bhutto was killed at a political rally near Islamabad when a gunman reportedly shot her and then exploded a bomb, killing himself and at least 14 others. Bhutto, the country’s former prime minister, had returned to Pakistan after an eight-year exile to the contest the parliamentary elections.
Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) made a more pointed statement about Musharraf, noting that he had asked him twice to provide better security for her and other Pakistani leaders after an explosion nearly killed Bhutto when she returned to the country in October.
“The failure to protect Ms. Bhutto raises a lot of hard questions for the government and security services that must be answered,” said Biden, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He called Bhutto a friend and said she would have won the parliamentary elections scheduled for next month if she had lived.
Meanwhile, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) called on Musharraf to resign, saying that it is in U.S. interests to have a democratic country that “relentlessly hunts down terrorists.”
“President Bush should press Musharraf to step aside, and a broad-based coalition government, consisting of all the democratic parties, should be formed immediately,” said Richardson, who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President Clinton. “Until this happens, we should suspend military aid to the Pakistani government. Free and fair elections must also be held as soon as possible.”
In an interview on MSNBC, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) also urged Pakistan to go on with its elections and criticized the Bush administration for having “misplaced priorities” with its preoccupations with Iraq and Iran.
Among the Republicans, the condemnations of Bhutto’s assassination were tied in to broader warnings on the threat of Islamic extremism.
“Her death is a reminder that terrorism anywhere — whether in New York, London, Tel-Aviv or Rawalpindi — is an enemy of freedom,” said former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. “We must redouble our efforts to win the terrorists’ war on us.”
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said that the United States must do all it can to support Pakistanis who have tried to lead their country away from extremism.
“Given Pakistan's strategic location, the international terrorist groups that operate from its soil, and its nuclear arsenal, the future of that country has deep implications for the security of the United States and its allies,” he said. “America must stand on the right side of this ongoing struggle.”
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) told reporters in New Hampshire that Bhutto’s assassination was another instance of “the extraordinary reality of global violent radical jihadism.”
“This type of loss of life points out again the need for our nation and other civilized nations of the West and of the civilized world to come together to support moderate Islamic leaders, moderate Islamic people,” he said.
Bush’s fault?.............
Former senator John Edwards (D-N.C.) said her assassination was a “cowardly act.”
Waiting for Bill Maurer to make a statement that it was not a cowardly act—it was actually quite courageous since the assassins gave up their lives in the attack.
Huckabee has “apologized” for the incident. Apparently, the extremists are beginning to take credit for the assassination....
You don't say? Geez, I was kind of waiting for at least one to publicly applaud it.
Seriously, the headline writer is a Master of the Obvious.
What a bunch of garbage this piece is, by the time I left my home today at ll:00 central time, Rommney, Rudy, McCain and Huckabee had put out statements. Dodd was coming up on MSMBC to give his statement and they said they had heard from Obana and Kichakoo and no one else. I guess Hillbilly had to wait until her speech writers could issue a statement for her.
Putz. Just when you thought that Carter had STFU, he goes and takes over Gomer's body.
I hope that Fred Thompson jams that one up the proper orifice.
I had to read your post several times to figure out that I wasn't the putz...
Clearly that wasn't the case. If it was, I'd have said "You putz...." Nope, Gomer's the one.
Bhutto Assassination Tilts Campaign Focus... (Interesting contrast)
That'll have the people responsible shaking in their boots.
Clearly...
Bhutto Assassination Tilts Campaign Focus... (Interesting contrast)
Can not those running for President think before they issue their latest talking points.
Decency? In American politics today? Especially on the liberal side? No, my FRiend, it’s all about, “How can I spin this to MY advantage?” or “How can I blame this on the OTHER guy?”......I forget who said, “Politics is a lot like sausage. If you like it, it’s best you don’t watch it being made.”............
I knew you where talking about hickaby
I hope that the Bhutto assaination will be the needed wake-up call for the canidates to stop focussing on trival issues and start to focus on “real issues” such security.
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