by Frank James
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, issued the following statement on the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
DENISON, IA -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson issued the following statement this morning after the assassination of Pakistani opposition leader and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
"Benazir Bhutto was a courageous woman. Her death, and the deaths of so many of her supporters, is more than just a tragedy. It is a testament to the will of the Pakistani people to see democracy restored. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who died today.
"Ms. Bhutto knew the dangers to her safety. But she would not be intimidated. We also must not be intimidated.
A leader has died, but democracy must live. The United States government cannot stand by and allow Pakistan's return to democracy to be derailed or delayed by violence.
We must use our diplomatic leverage and force the enemies of democracy to yield: President Bush should press Musharraf to step aside, and a broad-based coalition government, consisting of all the democratic parties, should be formed immediately. Until this happens, we should suspend military aid to the Pakistani government. Free and fair elections must also be held as soon as possible.
It is in the interests of the US that there be a democratic Pakistan that relentlessly hunts down terrorists. Musharraf has failed, and his attempts to cling to power are destabilizing his country. He must go."
Richardson is a former United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
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Comments
Richardson calls for a "return to democracy" in Pakistan.
How can you "return" a country to democracy that was never a true democracy in the first place?
And since the Islamic terrorists were Bhutto's likely killers, doesn't it make sense for the U.S. to go after THEM, rather than go after the Musharraf government which opposes the terrorists?
Posted by: Bruce | December 27, 2007 11:19 AM
Those terrorists are hiding in the mountains of Pakistan with another terrorist the Bush administration has given up on finding.
Posted by: bill r. | December 27, 2007 12:15 PM
Bruce,
Funny how you think it's possible to "oppose" terrorists, yet sign TRUCES with tribes to agree to stay out of their region while al-Qaeda and the Taliban practice making bombs and train to kill and murder. Would you think Rudy or any other leader is tough on crime if he/she made such an agreement to stay out of gang ridden neighborhoods to avoid "conflict"?
Posted by: john | December 27, 2007 12:22 PM
Right, so now things are really boiling and the guy sort of in control should RESIGN?
Too clever by half, Mr. Richardson. If this is your idea of statesmanship, you are dangerous to yourself and the people around you. I suppose anyone in the least connected to Bush is a problem for you, but your problems and a judicious course for other countries do not have the same solution.
Go back to the land of enchantment, Bill. You fit better on a much smaller stage.
Posted by: Harry Schell | December 27, 2007 1:27 PM
Bruce,
I don't usually respond to an 'artificial intelligence' device, but didn't Mush. support and nurture the Taliban and Al Qaida in Afg.?
His intelligence service created the problem, with help from the CIA in the 80's.
Posted by: C.Morris | December 27, 2007 6:51 PM
Bruce,
Its far more likely that the murderers of Bhutto are Musharaf supporters. If you've got evidence that it was Al Qaeda (and neither Mr. Bush nor Mr. Musharaf's theories will suffice as they both have their own motives in spinning this their way), let's see it.
Posted by: Jones | December 27, 2007 7:08 PM
But Harry,
Bhutto and her successor were PM's at one time in a working democracy. Guess who snuffed it?
Posted by: C.Morris | December 27, 2007 7:15 PM
But Harry,
Bhutto and her successor were PM's at one time in a working democracy. Guess who snuffed it?
Posted by: C.Morris | December 27, 2007 7:15 PM
john,
If I may add a 'lowlite' to your question to 'Bruce';
Bruce, John D, and other right wingers in the Swamp have claimed in the past that the awful events in the Muslim world are no worse or different than gang violence in American cities.
Posted by: C.Morris | December 27, 2007 7:18 PM
Diplomatic Leverage? Wow, why didn't we think of that before? If we used that, we could solve all of the worlds problems. Just like the U.N.
Posted by: Joshua Stigall | December 27, 2007 7:22 PM
Mr. Richardson, you, sir, are an imbecile, and a dangerous one at that. Pressing Musharaff to resign in the face of so much instability, and in a nuclear-capable country currently fighting for its very life against Osama and is Islamist cronies, is the most reckless and irresponsible foreign policy I have heard in a long time. My Gosh. I can only hope that your presidential aspiration never see the light of day. How absolutely disturbing.
Posted by: JPL | December 27, 2007 10:15 PM
Mohamed Ali Jinah's "Two Nation Theory" has proven wrong again when one faction of Moslems has killed another Moslem of another faction. Two nation theory of him separated Hindus from Moslems. Now how many nation theory does one need to include Terrorists also as a Moslem faction? All Moslems of Pakistan should revert their roots to India and live happily ever after declaring dissolution of the state and become a State within the Union of India. That is the ultimate and the only solution when Pakistan has not demonstrated any stability in the past sixty years.
Posted by: Philip Morales | December 28, 2007 1:05 AM
Saddam Hussein had this crazy notion that Kuwait, a independent sovereign country, was part of Iraq. Some Indians (not all) and people like Philip can be placed in the same category as Saddam for suggesting that Pakistan should be part of India. Muslims wanted their country because India had far too many extremist Hindus. Minorities in current day India are regularly under attack and not just Muslims but Christians too. Read the following news report (Dec 2007) on how Christians and churches are being attacked and burnt.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/12/27/whindu127.xml
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iZ7EGRBQOnByihx-VTnbdmbcv-Ow
Posted by: Ghauri | January 11, 2008 5:22 AM