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Bhutto and 2008
Slate's John Dickerson has a new item up about how the assassination of Benazir Bhutto is impacting the presidential race. A quick excerpt:
To the extent that unpredictable news about the dangerous state of the
world helps anyone, it helps the "safe candidates" (Clinton, McCain,
and Rudy) rather than the untested, roll-of-the-dice candidates (Obama
and Huckabee).
Pakistan has already been an issue in the Democratic primary because,
remember, Obama took a controversial stand on taking military action in
Pakistan whether the leaders of the country liked it or not. Hillary
Clinton has been making the explicit pitch on the stump that voters can
never know what a president will face, and therefore, they should elect
a person who will be ready on Day One. ...
On the Republican side, Rudy was the first out with a statement (the terrorist attack meshed perfectly with his new ad).
McCain's response was to go a-boasting: "In my numerous visits to
Pakistan—to Islamabad, to Peshawar, even to tribal areas of
Waziristan—I have seen first hand the many challenges that face the
political leadership there." If he had more money, he'd probably run an
ad showing his passport stamps.
Read the rest here.
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