Pakistan's Palace Revolution: The Battle For Democracy

Hey! think the time is right for a palace revolution
But where I live the game to play is compromise solution
- Rollling Stone

Benazir Bhutto has vowed to wage war on extremists, and they have answered her challenge in kind:

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — A top provincial security official said Friday that the suicide attack on Benazir Bhutto bore the hallmarks of an al-Qaida-linked, pro-Taliban warlord based near the Afghan border.

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf labeled the attack part of a "conspiracy against democracy," reaching out to the former prime minister with whom he is trying to forge a pro-U.S., anti-militant alliance.

The "signature at the blast site and the modus operandi" suggested the involvement of militants linked to warlord Baitullah Mehsud and al-Qaida, said Ghulam Muhammad Mohtarem, the head security official in the province where Mehsud is based.

I don't think that Bhutto is necessarily pro-US, just pro-secularist and pro-democracy. These days, those two characteristics are not necessarily in line with modern US interests.

These will be interesting days as Bhutto attempts to bring the rule of law to an area of Pakistan that has long resisted outside powers. The North West Frontier Area was and is a graveyard of the Soviets, British and modern Afghan and Pakistani areas.

This is Bhutto's speech afterwards:

And the rule of medieval Europe and of the old Roman empire still applies: If you are going to kill the king, make sure you complete the job. In this case, the resolve and support of Bhutto will be unparralled as she will have political capital and moral high ground to wage an offensive against the Taliban and AQ.