Please Step Aside, Pervez

I'm watching the Dem Debate right now--after a horrible, crushing Redskins loss--and I'm struck by Bill Richardson's optimism.

Charlie Gibson asks what Richardson would do if there were credible evidence of Pakistani awfulness.

Richardson replies, "I would ask Musharraf to step aside."

Um, yeah, that'll work.

RIP Benzair Bhutto

Rather than provide any sort of comment, I offer portions of an article from the Washington Post, located here. Do with it what you will.

Although no group has claimed responsibility for Bhutto's killing, Western leaders immediately pointed to the Islamic extremist groups operating with increasing intensity in Pakistan, including those with links to al-Qaeda.

Yelling "Musharraf is a dog," they blamed him for Bhutto's death.

Bush, whose administration played a key role in arranging Bhutto's return to the country Oct. 18, spoke by telephone with Musharraf hours after her death.

In the narrow corridor outside the operating room, supporters cried out: "Long live Bhutto!" and "Musharraf is a murderer!"

"This is the height of brutality. They have hanged her father. They have killed her brothers. The government has killed all the good people of Pakistan," said Sarfraz Khan. "Please pray for us. Pray for our poor country."

A Likely Story

Two pieces of news out of Pakistan:

1) Terror suspect flees.

2) Emergency rule ends, was meant to preserve democracy.

Okay. Help me think this through. Musharraf announces the end of the Emergency, stating that he had to implement emergency rule due to a threat to Pakistan's democracy. (And here I didn't even know that Pakistan ever had democracy. What country does, these days?) So let me get this straight. Musharraf had to squash democracy to preserve democracy. Fascinating. 1984 much?

Meanwhile, this fleeing terror suspect news coincides with Musharraf's democratic pronouncement. What better a way to reinforce the legitimacy of the Emergency and freak people out a little all at once?