FOREIGN POLICY OF BUSH/CHENEY/RICE NOW OUT OF OPTIONS FOR PAKISTAN

We all know that Bush, Cheney and Condoleeza Rice have been pushing for Benazir Bhutto to return to Pakistan from exile and participate in the forthcoming elections, so that she could add some legitimacy to the Pervez Musharraf regime, perhaps even sharing power with dictator Musharraf. Today Benazir Bhutto was assassinated.

Robin Wright and Glenn Kessler report on today's web page of The Washington Post:

"The assassination today of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto is a major blow to the U.S. goal of stabilizing Pakistan, a volatile ally with nuclear weapons that has served as a frontline against extremism since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to former U.S. policymakers and experts.

"The abrupt loss of a leading pro-U.S. political figure threatens the transition to democracy in Pakistan and leaves both Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Bush administration strategies vulnerable, they said."

Instead of opposing Musharraf for what he has done against the rule of law in Pakistan and the mockery he has made of civil liberties by beating and locking up lawyers and judges, Bush/Cheney/Rice are seeking to support him in his quest to remain in power. That's why they urged the unfortunate Benazir Bhutto to return to Pakistan and seek elected office. They thought she would stabilize and support Musharraf.

Write Robin Wright and Glenn Kessler:

"The administration was clearly taken aback by Bhutto's death, despite earlier assassination attempts and ongoing threats against her. . . .

"The United States is particularly concerned about the potential for initial demonstrations to become open-ended protests against the Musharraf government. U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson is also reaching out to other opposition parties and civil society groups to urge calm, U.S. officials said."

The assassination of Ms. Bhutto again brings into sharp focus the shallowness of U.S. foreign policy under the Bush gang. Instead of supporting the Pakistani middle class in their uprising against Musharraf, Bush & Co. can think of nothing but plugging the dike against Pakistani Islamists. Their plan to install Bhutto has now come to a tragic denouement. The Pakistani lawyers, judges and middle class are now solidly anti-American and anti- United States. And Bush/Cheney/Rice have no alternative policy for Pakistan. In their quest to make the world do their bidding, the American "leaders" have run out of options.