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Bhutto Assassination, France’s Smoking Ban, McCain campaigns in Iowa, Close Presidential Elections in Kenya |
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Opposition party leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated today outside a campaign rally in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Leaders in Britain and the US have condemned the assassination as an act of cowardice perpetrated by people who, as UK PM Gordon Brown said, “are afraid of democracy”.
Today, Bush’s address focused on the tragedy at hand and the threat of extremism, but tomorrow, the administration will have to turn to what Bhutto’s assassination means for U.S. foreign policy.
Threatening to shatter the clichés of Parisian café culture, France’s smoking ban will be extended as of January 1 to include cafés, clubs, bars and restaurants. Will the new ban bring an end to France’s fashionable sipping and smoking culture? Or will lung-friendly France find a way to bounce back?
With a little boost in morale from his recent rise in the New Hampshire polls, Senator John McCain has rededicated himself to winning Iowa, beginning with a full day of campaigning in the state today. Capitalizing upon the tragedy of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, McCain played off his foreign policy credentials, claiming to be the only candidate with the right FP resume to enter the Oval Office.
In Kenya, voters waited in mile-long lines to cast their votes in what will likely be the country’s closest presidential election in history. In order to become president, a candidate must win a seat in Parliament and at least 25 percent of the votes in 5 out of Kenya’s 8 provinces.
Bhutto’s assassination seems to have trumped other stories (like subtle upturns in consumer confidence and gloomy year-end retail outlooks), but if you’ve got something interesting, post it below.
This is an open thread; share your thoughts and comments below.
I think this means Bush’s gamble in Pakistan has really failed in its entirety. He bet on Bhutton and Mushrraf working together, and that will not happen. The question is, will terrorism concerns trump civil liberties, democracy, and stability yet again? Probably…
Many people have been wondering if this isn’t a Franz Ferdinand-like event. Let’s hope not.
JASON YOUR SO OFF BASE..I called this thing a mounth ago when the c.i.a. conned her weazil ass from dubai back to pakki..im sure brokerd by a promise that we got “her back”..by the u.s./its straight out of “CHARLEY WILSONS WAR”..NOT THE MOVIE VERSION>>>but the book i read twice in the last two years..musariff rules that country and all his x mil. buds. that bitch bhuttos had to go..and next is her lil bro. in hideing..then thats all of them..there familey was worse robbers than our boy musariff…but the u.s. needied browni points with a needed faltering alie..musariff is way more intelagent than bush..hes a pro..i think he read your seminal jason..he took off his street uniform and put on a suit and said o.k. im civilan..yea..and the u.s press trumped that the milatary might over throw him…in real life if the thought even enterd there head they could expect …naw im not gonna say cause they owe there whole lifes to him..the u.s. wants to bomb all the stan/province’s in the afgan. border were the talaban are..its a win win sicth for him. and when you got billions-o-bucks coming your way/tanks jets/..i think g.w. and musariff are high fiveing behind our backs.
Hey, you may be right. I doubt we’ll ever know the truth though…
Terrorism concerns have been trumping civil liberty, democracy and stability in the past. The ironic thing is that anti-American sentiment, terrorism, religious extremism are all fueled further by the erosion of the democratic process and civil liberties in Pakistan WHICH the U.S. administration has supported so far by standing behind Musharraf.
I doubt that Bhutto’s assassination will snap the U.S. administration out of its misguided track. Unfortunately, it seems like they will see themselves as once again having only one viable person to work with in the country…Musharraf.
I had had a similar thought yesterday. The fewer opponents Musharraf has, the stronger his rule (and his need to rule) becomes.
Re: A.M. Schmidtz: High fiving behind our backs, perhaps. But this “war” isn’t the first time the U.S. has misjudged its relationship with Pakistan. Seems we haven’t learned from our Cold War-era mistakes. (I.e., When Bhutto’s father was leading the PPP and George Bush’s father was representing US interests in the UN)