Centerfield

Bhutto's Death

I think this means an end to hope of change in Pakistan in the next twenty years. The extremism, migration of elites, funding for militaristic extremists in Afghanistan, and harboring of terrorists in the tribal areas will all continue unabated.

Of course, Bhutto had done little about that stuff on her watch, but improvement comes much faster when you have regular peaceful turnover of government and advisors and press can speak more-or-less freely, without being jailed or hurt or killed for their efforts.

Al'Qaeda has claimed credit, of course, and we know they like to kill those annoying non-theocratic democratic politicians. Were security men less than vigilant, knowing The Boss would be happier if the strike went through? It's just speculation. All we can be sure of now is that both extremists and Musharraf's party are less than saddened about Bhutto's death.