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Bhutto was assasinated

dante

Unabomber
Feb 13, 2004
8,807
9
looking for classic NE singletrack
So who did it? Islamic militants, who had vowed to do it ever since she stepped foot back inside the country? Musharraf, who probably has the most to gain by eliminating his main rival, declaring martial law and postponing elections (again)? Combination of the two?
 

Inclag

Turbo Monkey
Sep 9, 2001
2,750
439
MA

I watched this interview when it was aired and was really surprised by it. She seemed like that cliche person that you see in films or on TV that has the combination of convictions and stubbornness that endangers themselves as well as the others around them.
 

$tinkle

Expert on blowing
Feb 12, 2003
14,591
6
"bacon of peace" - heh.

she lasted a lot longer than i had expected, what with all the misogyny ingrained in that region.

she'll be missed here. much respect.
 

SPINTECK

Turbo Monkey
Oct 16, 2005
1,370
0
abc
I can't believe it. It's definitely right out of a movie. Mushareef is our lapdog, so the CIA probably had to shut her down. The people loved her, unfortunately she didn't have a strong international ally.

But then again maybe a deranged person just go a lucky shot in past her security without any extra intelligence.
 

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
helluva way to go out...id rather be blown up then shot in the neck
Sounds like she got a bit of both, shot in the neck and body and then the assassin blew himself up. Sad day for the Pakistani people. I guess Musharraf will continue to be the leader
 

SPINTECK

Turbo Monkey
Oct 16, 2005
1,370
0
abc
Sounds like she got a bit of both, shot in the neck and body and then the assassin blew himself up. Sad day for the Pakistani people. I guess Musharraf will continue to be the leader
How odd, shots and a suicide bomber. The bomber was just a distraction. That woman has led the muslim world for years without any problems and now all of a sudden she falls victim to the most average source of violence (the common suicide bomber) in the country that she led- I don't think so. The problem is that the only agencies with the technology to test the quality of explosives and arsenal used are probably behind the assasination. Now Musharaf can "heal" shocked nation without the threat of her rallying the people and regaining power.

Am I the only one thinking this stuff??
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
Yeah, seems to me that cruising around hanging out your sunroof is a little irresponsible for someone of that stature.

Hard not to see it coming....
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,669
1,713
chez moi
I think it would serve US interests to keep her alive as a moderating and secularizing influence, in the face of an ever-escalating tension between competing forms of Islamic and secular tyranny, so I doubt that it was any kind of CIA-backed thing.

As far as reports on exactly how it happened, I'm waiting a few days before I start believing anything. The "shots" may well turn out to be spalling or shrapnel.
 

Transcend

My Nuts Are Flat
Apr 18, 2002
18,040
3
Towing the party line.
She was the first democratically elected female leader in the muslim world (twice). As mentioned, she had more than a few swiss bank accounts she allegedly funneled money into. She may not have been a beacon of peace, but she certainly was a beacon of modernity.
 

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
How odd, shots and a suicide bomber. The bomber was just a distraction. That woman has led the muslim world for years without any problems and now all of a sudden she falls victim to the most average source of violence (the common suicide bomber) in the country that she led- I don't think so. The problem is that the only agencies with the technology to test the quality of explosives and arsenal used are probably behind the assasination. Now Musharaf can "heal" shocked nation without the threat of her rallying the people and regaining power.

Am I the only one thinking this stuff??
Its hard for me to not think Musharraf was behind it, she was a challenge to his authority. I don't know how popular the other presidential candidate is, but it seems like Musharraf is eliminating the political opposition.
 

$tinkle

Expert on blowing
Feb 12, 2003
14,591
6
Its hard for me to not think Musharraf was behind it, she was a challenge to his authority. I don't know how popular the other presidential candidate is, but it seems like Musharraf is eliminating the political opposition.
i'm more the thought that people who did it may not necessarily be warm to musharraf, yet quite cool to bhutto.

combine her desire to secularize pakistan w/ her "excessive" femininity & you have a perfectly justifiable target of opportunity.

she was
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,669
1,713
chez moi
Its hard for me to not think Musharraf was behind it, she was a challenge to his authority. I don't know how popular the other presidential candidate is, but it seems like Musharraf is eliminating the political opposition.
I think that's a poor analysis. Musharraf would be better off killing some of the radical Islamists...and Bhutto's party will have another candidate to run in her stead, who will now have even greater support among moderates, pulling people away from both Musharraf and the radicals.

Now, the ISI...that's another story...
 

X3pilot

Texans fan - LOL
Aug 13, 2007
5,860
1
SoMD
Well, when do we invade Pakistan, now? Assassinated leaders, a hard line dictator imposing his will on a country, harboring known terrorist, holding WMD....that was all we needed to invade Iraq, why not Pakistan?

Cheney's got to be behind this somehow...


Seriously, damn shame, it seems she was well liked and respected. So she was corrupt..like any of our so-called leaders aren't????
 

SPINTECK

Turbo Monkey
Oct 16, 2005
1,370
0
abc
Its hard for me to not think Musharraf was behind it, she was a challenge to his authority. I don't know how popular the other presidential candidate is, but it seems like Musharraf is eliminating the political opposition.
Yeah, but who's behind Musharraf??



You guys have some points on the obvious, but I don't understand why they didn't kill her earlier. It's just too coincidental for me. Think of the consequences of an unstable Pakistan not friendly with the US.
 

SPINTECK

Turbo Monkey
Oct 16, 2005
1,370
0
abc
Seriously, damn shame, it seems she was well liked and respected. So she was corrupt..like any of our so-called leaders aren't????

Maybe the problem was that she wasn't corrupt enough or in bed with the right people. The super rich of the world have a code of their own and guys like me will never know it or need to worry about it. But it's out there.
 

DaveW

Space Monkey
Jul 2, 2001
11,160
2,685
The bunker at parliament
Now, the ISI...that's another story...
Yeah was wondering about them.
No one really seems to have much conrtol over the ISI, they seem to act as a law unto themselves a hell of a lot of the time as far as I can tell.:disgust:


It might just be me but I don't thing there are any "good guys" in Pakistani politics.
There is not a single one of them from all that I have seen and read that would not cause me quite a bit of alarm if they were running in local politics. :shocked:
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,669
1,713
chez moi
Yeah was wondering about them.
No one really seems to have much conrtol over the ISI, they seem to act as a law unto themselves a hell of a lot of the time as far as I can tell.:disgust:


It might just be me but I don't thing there are any "good guys" in Pakistani politics.
There is not a single one of them from all that I have seen and read that would not cause me quite a bit of alarm if they were running in local politics. :shocked:

I'd take the "seem to" out of that sentence.

And while there aren't any good guys, I think Bhutto would have been a powerful force for change (and her party will continue to be, with her martyrdom on the masthead) in the vaguely correct direction. It's true that she was awfully corrupt, but you have to take what you can get...
 

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
I think that's a poor analysis. Musharraf would be better off killing some of the radical Islamists...and Bhutto's party will have another candidate to run in her stead, who will now have even greater support among moderates, pulling people away from both Musharraf and the radicals.

Now, the ISI...that's another story...
I don't know anything outside of what I've read in the U.S. press. I said that becuase she had a good shot at beating him in an election, so she posed a threat to his power. He's holding elections under pressure from the U.S., but its been obvious for a while now that he will do whatever it takes to limit the competition so he wins. I think all of the arrests, and replacing the supreme court judges so they would rule in his favor, is evidence of this.
 

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,669
1,713
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But he could simply have kept her from coming to the country in the first place. I suppose, however, you could say he let her in just to have this happen with some sort of deniability...but I don't see that as likely.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
But he could simply have kept her from coming to the country in the first place. I suppose, however, you could say he let her in just to have this happen with some sort of deniability...but I don't see that as likely.
He probably wanted to put it in the "Bhutto" if you know what Im saying. She wadn't bad for an older bird.