Monday, December 31, 2007
Bhutto and Musharraf and the "conspiracy" to hide the cause of death
Things I don't understand:
Pakistani and Western security experts said the government’s insistence that Ms. Bhutto, a former prime minister, was not killed by a bullet was intended to deflect attention from the lack of government security around her.This is absurd. We know there were gun shots fired at Bhutto. We know there was a bomb exploded near her car. It is 100% clear that there was insufficient security around her, be it "government" security or her own security. Whether she was actually killed by the gunshots, shrapnel from the bomb, or by smashing her head into the car thanks to the force of the bomb, makes absolutely no difference whatsoever, other than which individual gets charged with attempted murder and which individual with actual murder. Otherwise it's a complete tempest in a teapot, and the idea that what is happening is some kind of government conspiracy rather than routine confusion surrounding an event like this is nonsense, and a complete diversion from the real story.
Update: And a close runner-up:
The United States provided a steady stream of intelligence to Benazir Bhutto about threats against her before the former Pakistani prime minister was assassinated.A "steady stream" of intel, eh? That must be a real testament to the value of U.S. intelligence, right? Uh, not so much:
Much of what was passed on dealt with general threats from Taliban extremists and al-Qaida sympathizers and "was not actionable information."Yes, I'm sure Bhutto really needed that "steady stream of (unactionable) intel" to let her know she was in danger. I wonder if John McCain will be going after this wasteful government spending, an "intelligence" agency which knows no more than every reader of a newspaper.