It's spreading, apparently.
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What's the White House reaction?
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It's spreading, apparently.
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What's the White House reaction?
This is your one and only warning. Stop trolling, and stop taking this thread off topic. This goes for everyone. This is a good thread, and we're going to keep it that way.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shooting Love
See, I find Shooting Love rather lovable with his easily detected sarcasm.
lol bye! Back on topic, guys! - KanoQuote:
Originally Posted by Kano on the Phone
Ouch. I don't think that was sarcasm this time guys.
I may get a Christmas present, after all.
IBTN, i also love how the liberal majority of TNL has no idea what the ramifications of her death are in the least bit. India vs Pakistan, fight of the century.Quote:
Originally Posted by Yoshi
Bush has something to say:
Quote:
Bush Condemns Assassination
By STEVEN LEE MYERS
CRAWFORD, Tex. — President Bush on Thursday condemned the assassination of Pakistan’s opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto, a killing that left in ruins the delicate diplomatic effort his administration had pursued for the last year to reconcile that country’s deeply divided political factions.
Speaking to reporters while vacationing at his ranch here, Mr. Bush spoke only briefly and answered no questions, underscoring the uncertainty Ms. Bhutto’s death has caused for Pakistan and for his own policies.
“The United States strongly condemns this cowardly act by murderous extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistan’s democracy,” Mr. Bush said. “Those who committed this crime must be brought to justice.”
Now, more than ever, the Bush administration’s hopes for Pakistan rest almost entirely with President Pervez Musharraf, the newly retired general whose autocratic measures — most recently a declaration of emergency rule — have left him weakened and broadly unpopular.
The apparent fragility of his power, coupled with the rise of extremism in Pakistan, is what led President Bush’s aides to try to broker a power-sharing agreement between Ms. Bhutto and Mr. Musharraf in the first place. Those efforts faltered almost immediately after she returned to Pakistan in October, and ended completely with her death.
Mr. Bush praised Ms. Bhutto more strongly than he had until now, saying: “she knew that her return to Pakistan earlier this year put her life at risk. Yet she refused to let assassins to dictate the course of her country.”
He expressed his condolences to Ms. Bhutto’s family, the families of the others who died and “to all the people of Pakistan on this tragic occasion.” He said that the best way to honor her assassination would be “by continuing with the democratic process for which she so bravely gave her life.”
Mr. Musharraf, who seized power in a coup in 1999, has been a strong ally since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The Bush administration embraced his undemocratic rule, while nudging him to make democratic reforms, using the country as a bulwark against Al Qaeda in neighboring Afghanistan and, increasingly, in Pakistan itself.
Mr. Bush referred to the killer — a single gunman who then detonated a suicide bomb, according to reports — as “murderous extremists,” evidently accepting the idea that those who killed her are in the same league as Al Qaeda, though there is no immediate evidence of any terrorist group’s involvement.
Ms. Bhutto’s supporters, though, are sure to suspect the involvement of Mr. Musharraf’s government or the security services, by either tacitly or negligently failing to protect her. And Mr. Bush’s stance — his still strong support for Mr. Musharraf — could further erode popular support for Mr. Musharraf, even if the administration still sees his leadership as the best guarantor of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.
“The danger is the centrist elements of Pakistan will be so demoralized,” Stephen P. Cohen, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said in a telephone interview on Thursday.
He criticized the administration for failing to nurture Pakistan’s opposition for so long after Mr. Musharraf’s coup. He expressed hope that the United States could still urge moderate parties to ally themselves with Mr. Musharraf, forming a governing coalition, assuming that elections scheduled for next month go ahead.
“It should wake up anybody who thinks that Pakistan is a stable country and that we can deal only with Musharraf,” Dr. Cohen said of the assassination.
re: Bailey - Why are you throwing that shit around? This isn't a Right/Left thing.
I was going to save the original post for posterity, but as soon as I hit the quote button it was already changed. No fun. :(Quote:
Originally Posted by Shooting Love
That would've happened with Musharrif (sp?) in power if that were the case. I don't think two nuclear-weapon wielding countries will go to war right now, but it will complicate the relations and leave the country in a political quagmire until something is figured out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bailey