Copyright AFP/Corbis)
Osama Bin Laden, the Terrorist, is Safe in Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, the Democrat, was Not; Truly, Musharraf is Bush-Cheney's "Strong Ally" in the War IN, OF, BY & FOR Terror
By Richard Power
Osama Bin Laden is safe in Pakistan.
Benazir Bhutto was not.
Osama Bin Laden is alive and free in Pakistan.
Daniel Pearl is not.
Neither Iran nor Iraq have nuclear weapons.
But Pakistan does.
This is the poisoned fruit of Beltwayistan's decades of geopolitical folly in the Moslem world, and of the neo-con wet dreams and foolish military adventures of the last seven years in particular
I followed the story of Benazir Bhutto for many years.
She did not end up in exile because of corruption.
There is no head of state in the world, anywhere in the world, who could not be successfully stained with the broad brush of corruption.
Indeed, you cannot achieve power without exposing yourself to that charge.
In one way, she was the Don Siegelman of Pakistan; now, in another way, she has become the Robert F. Kennedy of Pakistan, we must pray she does not become the Archduke Ferdinand of the region.
She ended up in exile because she was too secular for the religious extremists and their backers in Saudi Arabia, and she was too democratic for the militarists and their backers in Beltwayistan.
She was also the first woman to rule in the modern Moslem world, and tragically, probably the last for some time.
When she returned to Pakistan a few weeks ago, I kept asking myself, "Why?"
She certainly knew she would most likely be killed.
I knew she would most likely be killed.
This morning, as I heard the news of her assassination, the answer struck me, and it came with a bitter twist of irony.
Every time you ask yourself why US political leaders will not stand up to the Bush-Cheney regime, why impeachment is off the table, why the betrayal of US secret agent Valerie Plame's covert identity goes unavenged, why those who looked the other way while 9/11 went down, then lied us into war with Iraq (and attempted to lie us into war with Iran) continue to occupy positions of power and privilege, why violations of FISA, FOIA, the Geneva Accords, the Bill of Rights, etc., have gone on unchecked, why no one is under criminal investigation for obstruction of justice in the firing of the US attorneys or the theft of elections in 2000, 2002 and 2004; remember the beautiful face, passionate heart and eloquent tongue of Benazir Bhutto, remember too Yitzhak Rabin, and Jack and Bobby Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Omar Torrijos, and Anwar Sadat, and the answer will come to you.
They do not stand up because they are afraid.
She was not afraid.
Some Related Posts
Hard Rain Journal 11-3-07: The Nuclear Threat is Grave, But It is Not Coming from Iran; It is Coming from Pakistan, & Perhaps from
In This Century of Crisis, Empowering Women is Vital if the Human Race is to Prevail, i.e., Evolve
GS(3) Thunderbolt 9-14-07: In Pakistan, the Dharma Repels an Attack; In Burma, the Dharma Sparks an Uprising
Hard Rain Journal 7-6-07: At The Red Mosque, Bloodshed; At Nalanda University, Hope
Hard Rain Journal 10-8-06: Has Far Is It From Pittsburgh to Pakistan?
Words of Power #24: Lost Symbols, Part One – Aung San Suu Kyi, AQ Khan, & The World Tree
Daniel Pearl, Osama+Bin+Laden, Benazir Bhutto, Musharraf, Yitzhak Rabin, Pakistan, Terrorism, Richard Power, Words of Power
