Who Killed Benazir Bhutto? Is Anybody Looking At Condi?

[kpete]

Michael Shaw
Who Killed Benazir Bhutto? Is Anybody Looking At Condi?

....................

If you read through a series of investigatory articles published in late December by Newsweek and its sister publication, The Washington Post, the context surrounding Bhutto's assassination takes on a disturbing political light -- one which the media has failed to draw conclusions from.

At this point, Benazir Bhutto's death has been chalked up as a fateful tragedy or a kind of cruel inevitability for "that part of the world." It's as if Bhutto survived to the age of fifty-four simply out of sheer luck. The reality, however, is that Bhutto was nothing if not shrewdly tactical in her decisions and highly circumspect when it involved her safety.

Of course, there is no question she was terrifically interested in returning to Pakistan, and resuming power. What has somehow escaped attention as a central factor in her death, however, is the pressure applied by Condi Rice for Bhutto to return to Pakistan, and, particularly, the representation Rice made to Bhutto -- against Bhutto's own intuition -- that President Musharraf was in support.

Writes Robin Wright and Glenn Kessler in WAPO on December 27th:

For Benazir Bhutto, the decision to return to Pakistan was sealed during a telephone call from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice just a week before Bhutto flew home in October. The call culminated more than a year of secret diplomacy -- and came only when it became clear that the heir to Pakistan's most powerful political dynasty was the only one who could bail out Washington's key ally in the battle against terrorism.

It was a stunning turnaround for Bhutto, a former prime minister who was forced from power in 1996 amid corruption charges. She was suddenly visiting with top State Department officials, dining with U.N. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and conferring with members of the National Security Council. As President Pervez Musharraf's political future began to unravel this year, Bhutto became the only politician who might help keep him in power.

"The U.S. came to understand that Bhutto was not a threat to stability but was instead the only possible way that we could guarantee stability and keep the presidency of Musharraf intact," said Mark Siegel, who lobbied for Bhutto in Washington and witnessed much of the behind-the-scenes diplomacy.

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As part of the deal, Bhutto's party agreed not to protest against Musharraf's reelection in September to his third term. In return, Musharraf agreed to lift the corruption charges against Bhutto. But Bhutto sought one particular guarantee -- that Washington would ensure Musharraf followed through on free and fair elections producing a civilian government.

more at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-shaw/reading-the-pictures-_b_81030.html

[malaise]

1. We all know we're being played

big time. Anything is possible here.

By the way a suicide bomber killed over 20 people outside the courts in Pakistan yesterday - mostly police.

http://www.dawn.com/2008/01/11/top1.htm

[bigtree]

2. I'd have to agree that the administration bears a great deal of responsibility

for their manipulation in directing Bhutto back to Pakistan.

And, when Negroponte visited Pakistan, he should have made it abundantly clear that the protection of Bhutto, her supporters, and other political opponents of Musharraf was paramount to future support for the dictator. Instead, they offered nothing but a tepid scolding without even using the leverage of the billions in U.S. tax dollars we provide the military dictatorship to influence their fellow autocrat to actually defend the democracy he was posturing around.

[MethuenProgressive]

3. Obama's campaign manager already told us it was Hillary Clinton's fault.

Never Question Obama.

[blondeatlast]

4. Not Condi--it would draw far too much attention to the fact that the SD failed miserably

to act at all in the region, IMHO.

Better to be silent and do nothing than draw attention to something that would distract from an attack on Iran (even though Pakistan and India both have nukes and have used them).

[RuleOfNah]

5. While I wouldn't put it past Rice...

How would Musharraf benefit from baiting Bhutto back to Pakistan, if only for an assassination? He seems to have less traction than before her death and before she returned to Pakistan. If the goal was instability in Pakistan, that would make more sense to me. Leverage against Musharraf, maybe, and then it spun out of control?

[MiniMe]

6. It was a clean shaven man in a coat. I don't think that Condi could have pulled that off.

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