In Memoriam: Miss Benazir Bhutto

As the world knows, Miss Benazir Bhutto was assassinated after a campaign rally in what might be generously described as suspicious circumstances. She was in the process of running for Prime Minister as the leader of the Pakistan People's Party, an election she was very likely to win. Her pedigree in corruption was as lengthy as most leaders in the area, but the courage to stand up to despots from General Zia to General Musharraf is to be admired, and the mental toughness to succeed as a woman in a Muslim country is also worthy of respect. Miss Bhutto chose to risk her own well-being and safety for the sake of ending Musharraf's rule, and gave the highest price for the chance to restore some measure of democracy to her homeland. Without her, Pakistan's future seems dim.

While there is a need to look at what will happen next, to question why this happened and where we go from here, the dignity and hope this lady represented must be remembered. Nations only get a couple moral leaders of courage on the scale of Suu Kyi or RFK, and Pakistan just lost one of theirs.