Pakistan is almost certainly going to go into a severe political crisis because of today's killing. Less than a week before the Iowa caucus, the images playing out on American TV screens will likely be of street riots in Pakistan, tanks in the streets, talk of nuclear missiles falling into the hands of al Qaeda, and suchlike. The political advantage will swing toward Hillary Clinton and John McCain. I don't know that it will do McCain much good in Iowa, but he'll almost certainly win New Hampshire now. Obama and Huckabee will suffer. And what about Giuliani, who has campaigned all along as a tough-on-terrorism figure who can be trusted in a crisis? I believe Pakistan, if the lid comes off, will seal the end of his candidacy by coalescing the anti-Huckabee forces around McCain post-New Hampshire. It could also be the death of the Romney candidacy for the same reasons, though Romney has more campaign cash than Giuliani, and hasn't placed all his chits on a Florida-and-beyond strategy.
If I were buying political futures, I'd move my investments this morning to Clinton and McCain. Not saying that's what I'd like to see happen politically, but what I think is going to happen, given this morning's headlines.
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Mrs. Clinton? Socialized medicine, unfettered abortions and gay marriage, certainly are not going to stop Muslim Jihadists. You need to take a nap Rod, wake up and write something sensible.
When Bhutto is assassinated the first thing to check is our selfinterests and Republican Party politics. Praise be to Jesus.
Actually, it was the second post of mine on the subject. Anyway, this is a blog that spends a lot of time on politics and the news. In the grown-up world, it's quite natural to speculate on what an assassination of a key foreign leader means for US interests.
Only someone who used to work for a New York tabloid could be so parochial at a time of world crisis like this.
All news is local, right? Ugh.
Mr. K-
If they try to bring a nuke to America, we'll crush them. So we keep involving ourselves in this backwater filled with nutballs to accomplish what exactly?
We can seal off the borders. We can drill and mine and develop our own energy, or buy it in the meantime from sane people in Canada, Mexico and Russia. All this striped pants international community UN realpolitik UN nonsense has gotten us no where. And were we to sensibly do so, we could tell these crazy people to pound sand.
Call me Neville if you like, but I have a cousin in the service and a stepson who likely will be next year. Would you be so kind to explain what they're fighting or would be fighting for-Iraqis to breathe free? Then Iranians yearning to breathe free? Pakistanis next? Huzzah-if only the Iraqis, Iranians and Pakistanis cared as much. What a freaking joke!
In the grown-up world, it's quite natural to speculate on what an assassination of a key foreign leader means for US interests.
Foresight and adherence to reality are the qualities of adulthood, I agree. Paranoia, fantasy, and willingness to profit off other peoples' misfortune...I'm not sure that's Christian, if not adolescent.
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