Bye Bye BB

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto no doubt sent shock waves through the world as pictures of her bloody demise spread from newspaper to newspaper, channel to channel, eye to eye. This setback has given we Americans little hope for a country many people cannot point out on a map. But, the truly frightening aspect of this world event, is the knowledge that if Pakistan's current Musharraf regime falls in some sort of coup to the ultra-Islamic opposition, there will potentially be a very lethal consequence for other regional powers. The Taliban remnants and other forces (allegedly Al-Qaeda) now have created a power vacuum that only a charismatic leader can leave. There is potential for a nuclear-armed Islamic Extremist Government, the very scenario that the countries of the UN have fought, and most failed at deterring with North Korea and Iran.

But a further inspection will reveal why Benazir Bhutto (sometimes called 'BB") was not the key to giving Pakistan back a democracy. She had left the country under corruption charges, and her successor, Nawaz Sharif faced similar accusations. It is unfortunate that these were the faces of the "new" Pakistan. Eight years ago, then General Musharraf overthrew Sharif to clean up an accused corrupt government. After countless shootouts with Islamic opposition, a state of emergency declaration, firing Supreme Court Justices and Constitutional violations, Musharraf looks no cleaner. Like in Palestine, people don't vote for Islamists because they necessarily share their beliefs, but because they prefer religious Islamic politicians to the dishonest secular leaders.

Bhutto, for all her charisma had a cloud over her head for years before returning from exile. No one person can save democracy. When the secular leaders become more transparent and less prone to malfeasance, then they will find a grateful populace will reward their efforts with votes. Until then, citizens will vote for someone who promises purity, something holier and hopefully less corrupt than the last guy.