Posted on 12/27/2007 5:12:06 AM PST by COUNTrecount
Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has been critically injured after a suspected suicide attack at a political rally in Pakistan.
It was believed to be a suicide attackShe is undergoing emergency surgery at a nearby hospital, Sky News sources say.
The explosion went off just after Ms Bhutto left the rally in Rawalpindi, minutes after her speech to thousands of people.
..ask Pelosi and Ried, of course they have to confer with the UN on what OUR policy will be
ANN CURRY: You have gone to the hospital. You’ve seen the wounded. You have sat with families who’ve lost. You’ve seen women crying, and show you their children who will not have fathers.
Bhutto said how hard that was and that there were really no words to lessen the families’s grief. That wasn’t enough for Curry.
CURRY: If you had not returned, these women would have their husbands, they would have their children. These 140 people [Curry’s voice breaking] would be alive, these 500 people would not have been wounded. Do you regret coming back now, seeing what has happened? You knew it was going to happen.
BENAZIR BHUTTO: I knew an attempt would be made.
CURRY: So, you knew that people would be at risk!
BHUTTO: I knew that people would be at risk.
CURRY [shouting]: So was it worth that risk, given what has happened?
Bhutto thought it was, for the sake of Pakistani democracy.
CURRY: This was a very slow-moving motorcade, surrounded by millions of people. Did you make the right choice [pause for dramatic effect, then shouting again] TO COME BACK IN THIS WAY?
BHUTTO: Ann, I find this question very uncomfortable.
CURRY: Of course you do, it’s a painful question.
BHUTTO: I’ll tell you why. It means that terrorists can dictate the agenda.
A bit later, having virtually accused Bhutto of responsibility for the deaths of her supporters, Curry shifted effortlessly into near hero-worship.
CURRY: You’re a mother of three. You could be living in London. Fine, you’ve already been Prime Minister. You [voice near-cracking again] don’t have to do this. The torture of your husband, the death of your father. Lost two brothers. You’ve been in solitary confinement. Thrown in jail. After all of that, you have given enough. Why? [Shouting again] PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY!
“Given enough”? Some might say that Bhutto has taken enough. Although there was surely politics behind the charges of corruption leveled against her, have a look at the seemingly substantial record, including the apparent fact of her $1.5 billion in Swiss bank accounts.
In any case, is it too much to ask Ann to conduct a straight-up interview with a world leader, and save the schmaltz for her next schmooze-in about a pop tart’s latest rehab stint?
Note: the day before Bhutto returned to Pakistan, Captain’s Quarters presciently raised the threat of violence.
Bonus Coverage: It was a rough morning for NBC-MSNBC women who ventured into the sports world.
On “Morning Joe,” host Joe Scarborough, a Red Sox fan, and panelist Willie Geist, a former sports reporter and producer at CNN, were discussing at length the Sox’s ALCS-clinching victory over Cleveland last night. Mika Brzezinski, trying to establish her own sports bona fides, proudly announced that she had watched Temple beat “Miami” in football. Upon questioning, it became clear that she didn’t realize that Temple’s opponent was Miami of Ohio, not the former national-champion Hurricanes. For that matter, it appeared that Mika was unaware of the very existence of Miami of Ohio. The screencap shows the moment in which a perplexed Mika shouted “what?” as Willie and Joe laid the news on her.
View video here.
Later, on “Today,” Massachusetts native Meredith Vieira triumphantly proclaimed that the Red Sox had won “the World Series.” When Matt Lauer began to protest, “no, no, no, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Vieira corrected herself, saying the Sox had won “the playoffs.”
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.
I am concerned about the market today....I have my trigger finger ready to sell...even for a small loss...
Thanks for the updates.
Tense days ahead.
I keep thinking of the wonderful Afghani warrior Massoud who was assassinated September 9th, 2001..
No, she shouldn’t head anywhere. Stay put indoors is the best solution.
Not really, I heard we (USA) came in and secured what nukes they had on hand...At least thats what I heard...Whether its true or not, well, we can blame the validity or not on what scant coverage this got in the MSM...
But when you look at the big picture the Caca has just hit the circular air moving device...
I agree its no big surprise, but just damn!
“Why can’t we all just get along?” —Rodney King
Those people get what they deserve I suppose...
Nothing we could do to prevent the unrest that is going to follow...And may be underway right now...
She was a very brave and lovely lady. It was a Horrible way to die.
sw
There was a bombing attatck this morning that killed 4 during a rally for Nawaz Sharif
"And then some."
Ask Bill how to do the Ron Brown tears thing.
Pull the gender card.
Musharraf would be an idiot to make a martyr out of her.
From an article addressing the failed assassination attempt on her in September:
She has made enemies of Islamic militants by taking a pro-U.S. line and negotiating a possible political alliance with Pakistan’s military ruler, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.
Authorities had urged her to use a helicopter to reduce the risk of attack amid threats from extremists sympathetic to the Taliban and al-Qaida, but she brushed off the concerns.
“I am not scared. I am thinking of my mission, she had told reporters on the plane from Dubai. This is a movement for democracy because we are under threat from extremists and militants.”
Last month, she had told CNN she realized she was a target. “Islamic militants, she said, don’t believe in women governing nations, so they will try to plot against me, but these are risks that must be taken. I’m prepared to take them.”
Leaving the airport, Bhutto refused to use a bulletproof glass cubicle that had been built atop the truck taking her to the tomb of Pakistan’s founding father, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, to give a speech.
I wondered the same thing.
This seems like that attack about (a year?) ago on our base in Iraq, where the attackers were far and above more trained and coordinated than had been the norm...
That one also IIRC, reportedly had some Iran involvement.
I dunno about WWIII, but there are some 900lb gorillas in the room.
1) India- Their military and intel services have to be having kittens right about now. I can imagine it’s chaos in New Delhi and some guys are dusting off the general war plans with Pakistan.
2) China- Pakistan is one of their largest arms markets, and there is some speculation that the Chinese assisted Pakistan with it’s devlopment of nuclear weapons. I can’t imagine she’d be real damn happy if chaos breaks out.
Either way, this may not be WWIII, but this has the potential to get real pear-shaped, real fast.
British have offices and embassies in 3 cities Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore. US has same in those cities plus Peshawar.
Just damn. Hard to have a law enforcement solution for such men. God help us if that shit starts happening here.
Did she refuse to wear a bullet proof vest? Did she travel in a bullet proof car? So sad.
Why not pray for the Moslems also? Afterall, most of them are good people and also God’s children.
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