Bhutto, Bush and Buffoonery

The assassination of Pakistani presidential hopeful Benazir Bhutto was a sad, tragic reminder of how blindly absurd President Bush’s policies have been toward Bhutto's homeland and its liar-in-chief, Pervez Musharraf.

In recent years, along with giving billions of dollars in military aid, Bush has consistently praised and defended President Musharraf. According to Dubya, “[Musharraf has] been an absolute reliable partner.” But as anyone with a brain and a pair of eyes can see, the actions of his regime stand in lethal opposition to his claims.

Despite glowing statements and assertions coming from Musharraf’s mouth, his military has consistently partnered with and protected Afghan Taliban refugees living in Pakistan’s Tribal Areas, radicals who were initially funded and urged on by Pakistan itself. It’s not a stretch to imagine our billions going to buy better arms for those extremists despite Musharraf’s hollow assurances to the West that he stands against terrorism. Sadly, nothing he and his troops have done to stop radicals amounts to anything beyond window dressing. Asking the Pakistani military to wage war against Al Qaeda and the Taliban would be like asking our Army to wage war against the Marines. They are really part of the same outfit. And they continue to breed hatred of women, modernity and plurality with virtually no governmental restraint, effectively creating a new Taliban nation within Pakistan.

Moreover, Musharraf and his military have repeatedly put off fair and free elections, jailing opponents—judges, lawyers, politicians, journalists—and declaring martial law to suit their purposes. Calling him a dictator, and labeling him and his party anti-democracy, would be more than fair and accurate.

But Bush, as stubborn, stupid and incapable of diplomacy as ever, refuses to put any public pressure on Musharraf, much less place conditions on our billions in aid. Bush clings to his beer-buddy instinct, which told him early-on that Musharraf, like Russian Premiere Vladimir Putin, was a “good guy.” Tragically, once Bush decides that you’re a “good guy”, you can break any law, destroy any nation, commit any crime, and remain in Dubya’s good graces without consequence.

May the moderate, democratic spirit of Bhutto live on in Pakistan.

And may the blind stupidity, arrogance, incompetence, hypocrisy, stubbornness and dishonesty of the Bush Administration cease to further damage our nation and world before it crawls out of office in disgrace a little more than a year from now.

- JT Compton
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