Bhutto assassination ...

Today’s Buzz ...
Benazir Bhutto (1953-2007) being interviewed in The Situation Room on 9/26/07

Bhutto assassination: How disturbing it was to wake up at 5:30 AM this morning – with the TV still on – and hear Kiran Chetry talking about the “Bhutto assassination”. While I wasn’t necessarily surprised, I was deeply saddened that the “premonitions” which Benazir Bhutto had regarding her life came true. The best hope for democracy in Pakistan has been ruthlessly eliminated.

I’m not sure if Americans, lulled back into complacency by the “success” of the Iraqi surge, truly appreciate the gravity of the “powder keg” conditions that exist throughout the Middle East. And Pakistan is probably the most volatile, what with the historic condition of their government – combined with the fact that they HAVE nuclear weapons. Not “they’re thinking about it”, or “they want to acquire the knowledge”. They could conceivably start (and end) World War III in a relatively short amount of time. Alarmist as that sounds – it’s within the realm of possibilities. And with the growing protests and violence occurring there right now – it’s even more of a concern. What happens if Musharraf is overthrown – or assassinated?

Which reminds me of one of my first thoughts this morning. What if this was December 27, 2009, instead of December 27, 2007? What would President Giuliani do? Or President Clinton (no, not Bill)? Or perhaps President McCain? Maybe even President Obama or Huckabee? Does that give anyone reason for pause? It certainly does for me. And I think back to just a few days ago – when I mentioned the AC360° blog entry from Candy Crowley – about whether or not foreign policy experience really matters anymore for (US) Presidential candidates? I think (or hope) we got the answer – loud and clear – this morning.

Anderson has blogged this morning and is returning to NYC from his vacation – and perhaps onto to Pakistan from there – as soon as possible. And unless there are visa problems, or other travel problems, he’ll probably be on his way there after tonight’s program, or at least over the weekend. It’s a very unsettling thought – although that’s his job, of course.

I did want to make a couple of quick comments about last night’s edition of Anderson Cooper 360°, although it seems a little more ‘distant’ than usual right now.

Tiger attack: Condolences are in order for the Souza family – how tragic it must have been for Carlos Souza to have received a call from the coroner at this time of year – asking that he come to the morgue to identify his 17-year-old son’s body. Let alone the reason for his death. A teenager like Carlos (Jr.) doesn’t visit a zoo on Christmas Day with any thought whatsoever that he won’t return home alive. A very telling observation was made by guest Ron Magill from the Miami Metrozoo – he said that wild animals, such as tigers, who are born and raised in captivity, are used to being around humans and haven’t acquired the instinct that they do “in the wild” to run away from humans if at all possible! Just one more reason to not keep wild animals in cages – IMHO.




Politics as usual: Another candidate abusing the activity of hunting so he can use it as some kind of macho metaphor for the ‘strength’ of his character. What has a pheasant ever done to Mike Huckabee? Anyway – I did enjoy the discussion with David Gergen, Gloria Borger and Dana Bash. I especially enjoyed Bill Schneider’s report – I’ve been saying all along that if the “Hill” wants to “count” her 8 years as First Lady in the context of her relevant “qualifications” to be President – then let’s exam it a little more closely. I doubt that the Clintons appreciated the New York Times article that recently DID that, however.




Tonight on Anderson Cooper 360°:


Keep up with the latest Pakistan coverage via the Anderson Cooper 360° blog:


Since the Bhutto assassination, and its aftermath, will be the dominant news story for many more days, I’ll close this entry with an article from October 18, 2007 about her return to Pakistan, along with some additional pictures, courtesy of Yahoo News. In addition to AC360° coverage, stayed tuned for special editions of The Situation Room at 8:00 PM EST and Larry King Live at 9:00 PM EST, both hours providing additional primetime coverage this evening.

Benazir Bhutto returns to Pakistan
By Paisley Dodds, Associated Press

Benazir Bhutto made a dramatic return to Pakistan on Thursday, ending eight years of exile to reclaim a share of power with the country's U.S.-backed military leader. More than 150,000 jubilant supporters gathered to greet her amid massive security.

Bhutto, who is expected to seek the premiership for an unprecedented third time and partner in ruling Pakistan with U.S.-backed President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, was in tears as she descended the steps of a commercial flight that brought her from Dubai to Karachi, where jubilant crowds of flag-waving, drum-thumping supporters waited to give her a rousing welcome.

"I counted the hours, I counted the minutes and the seconds, just to see this land, to see the grass, to see the sky. I feel so emotionally overwhelmed," Bhutto, who wore a white headscarf and clutched prayer beads in her right hand, told The Associated Press.

"And I hope that I can live up to the great expectations which people here have," she said.

She said she was fighting for democracy and to help this nuclear-armed country of 160 million people defeat the extremism that gave it the reputation as a hotbed of international terrorism.

"That's not the real image of Pakistan. The people that you see outside are the real image of Pakistan. These are the decent and hardworking middle-classes and working classes of Pakistan who want to be empowered so they can build a moderate, modern nation."

Bhutto, 54, fled Pakistan in the face of corruption charges in 1999. It would take a constitutional amendment for her to be prime minister again; Pakistani law bars leaders from seeking a third term.

Authorities have mounted a massive security operation to protect her from possible attack by militants. But the precautions failed to dampen the spirit of huge crowds forming in Karachi.

Hundreds of buses and other vehicles festooned with billboards welcoming her back were parked bumper-to-bumper along the boulevard from the airport to the city center. A huge red, green and black flag of her Pakistan People's Party hung from one apartment block overlooking the route.

Supporters including representatives of Pakistan's minority Christian and Hindu communities and Baluch tribesmen with flowing white turbans, walked toward the airport, while groups of men performed traditional dances, beat drums or shook maracas along the way.

Azad Bhatti, a 35-year-old poultry farmer from the southern city of Hyderabad said he had "blind faith" in Bhutto's leadership.

"When Benazir Bhutto is in power there is no bomb blast because she provides jobs and there is no frustration among the people," he said. "whatever she thinks is for the betterment of the people."

Bhutto paved her route back in negotiations with Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup. Musharraf, whose popularity has waned as violence by Islamic radicals has risen, is promising to give up his command of Pakistan's powerful army if he secures a new term as president.

The talks have yielded an amnesty covering the corruption cases that made Bhutto leave Pakistan in the first place, and could see the archrivals eventually team up to fight al-Qaida and the Taliban.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz welcomed Bhutto's return, saying it would improve the political and help democracy to "flourish."

But Musharraf, who had urged Bhutto to delay while he dealt with legal challenges to his continued rule, stayed silent, and a government spokesman claimed her rally was a flop.

"It is the PPP workers' response and not the public response and even the workers' response is much less than what she was expecting," Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani said.

The crowd seemed far smaller than the 3 million Bhutto claimed had turned out to welcome her. Its size was estimated at 150,000, strung along a four-mile stretch of the road, said a senior provincial official. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to release the estimates.

Still, the gathering was larger than most of her rivals could hope to muster, and it showed that Bhutto's party machinery remained intact despite her absence.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino declined to comment directly on Bhutto's return but said the U.S. wanted "a peaceful, democratic Pakistan, an Islamic state that is a moderate force in the region, and one that can be an ally to help us fight extremism and radicalism."

Before boarding her flight from Dubai, Bhutto told reporters that her homecoming felt like a miracle.

"I hope that, as this miracle is happening, that a miracle will happen for the impoverished and poverty-stricken people of Pakistan who are desperate for change, who want safety, who want security, who want opportunity, who want empowerment and employment," she said.

Outside Karachi airport, police baton-charged one group of supporters who approached the VIP terminal, where Bhutto was expected to arrive after landing. But with the crowds swelling, they later relaxed the cordon and let thousands of flag-waving PPP partisans to gather round the building.

Raza Hussain Shah, a senior police officer at the airport, said 20,000 officers were deployed there and along the route into the city. Officials said police bomb squads and thousands of paramilitary troops and party volunteers were also charged with maintaining security.

Bhutto, whose two elected governments between 1988 and 1996 were toppled amid allegations of corruption and mismanagement, hopes to lead her secular, liberal party to victory in parliamentary elections in January.

Many Pakistani are skeptical that Bhutto can meet her promises.

"People are intelligent now, they don't buy this rubbish," said Kamran Saleen, a 38-year-old businessman who lives near Karachi airport. "They know politicians can't make much difference."

Bhutto traveled on a truck equipped with a bulletproof glass cubicle to the tomb of Pakistan's founding father, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, for a speech.
Crowds chanted "Prime Minister Benazir!" showered her with flowers, and waved her party's flags as the truck inched forward.

Bhutto, who waved and smiled, was squeezed between other party officials at the front of the truck rather than in the bulletproof cubicle toward the rear. Still, as darkness fell, armed guards escorted the truck.

Authorities had urged her to cover the 10 miles by helicopter to reduce the risk of attack. But Bhutto, hated by radical Islamists because she supports the U.S.-led war on terrorism, brushed off the concerns.

"I am not scared. I am thinking of my mission," she told reporters on the plane. "This is a movement for democracy because we are under threat from extremists and militants."

Musharraf has seen his popularity plunge since a failed attempt to oust the country's top judge in the spring. The rapprochement with Bhutto appears aimed at boosting his political base as he vies to extend his rule.

He easily won a vote by lawmakers Oct. 6 to give him a new five-year presidential term.

The Supreme Court, however, has ruled that Musharraf's victory can only become official once it rules on challenges to the legality of his re-election.
At a hearing Thursday, presiding Justice Javed Iqbal said the court hoped to issue a ruling within 10 to 12 days. The court is also examining the legality of the amnesty.

Bhutto said she doubted the judges would stop either, but acknowledged her talks with Musharraf had a way to go.

Bhutto wants a constitutional amendment to lift a bar on anyone serving more than two terms as prime minister and safeguards to keep the January ballot fair.

"The big thing is I'm back home and I'm glad that Gen. Musharraf's regime has not interrupted my welcome," she said. "While there has been some small progress, there is a lot more yet that needs to be done."






Update # 1: Anderson confirmed tonight on a pre-taped edition of AC360° that he will be reporting on the Bhutto funeral from Pakistan tomorrow night!

Thank you for visiting in this time of international turmoil - as always, updates posted as needed!