NPR: Could Bhutto's Death Affect the Outcome of Races?

Could Bhutto's Death Affect the Outcome of Races?

In a few moments, in a country thousands of miles away, the race for the two parties presidential nominations may have shifted. The assassination of Benazir Bhutto reintroduces the issue of security from terrorism only a few days before the Iowa caucuses.

The lack of focus on security had particularly boosted candidates like Republican Mike Huckabee and Democrat Barack Obama, enabling them to downplay their lack of experience and talk about change. It hurt candidates like Rudy Giuliani, who had built his whole campaign around his security credentials as the mayor of New York during the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

But Bhutto's death means that GOP candidates like Guiliani and John McCain - who have talked about their experience and security credentials - can re-emphasize that message. For Democrat Hillary Clinton, it underscores her message about the importance of having someone as president who isn't learning on the job.

And you can sense from the candidates' comments today that they are aware of this shift, with some already talking about how their security experience is better than their opponents. For instance, McCain took a swipe at Giuliani, noting that "I think he did a great job post-9/11 handling a post-crisis situation. I don't know how that credential - how that provides one the credentials to address national security issues."

4:54 PM ET | 12-27-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

When Indira Gandhi was assassinated, her son Rajiv became Prime Minister. And he was assassinated.

Business as usual which more than likely further emphasizes the need for a strong American military presence in the region, visa vis an air base in Iraq.

Again, the majority of Americans will vote for the MAN who is strong on defense.

And, yes, if anything, the assassination of Bhutto will cause Americans to turn even further away from Hillary....if they can get any further away from her than they've already filled their NASCAR gas tanks.

More men would vote for Danica Patrick than Hillary. In fact, I think I will write-in Danica's name when it comes my turn to vote.

fred camorra call

Sent by fred camorra call | 7:49 PM ET | 12-27-2007

WHY is the Pakistan current nuclear
issue, which is stable an major topic in wake of the Bhutto assassination, yet the proven 2007
discovery of hidden far deeper
atomic weight and mass of elements
go ignored. IF atomic regulated informational data is an important
matter then why is un-regulated far
deeper atomic informational data
an ignored topic. WHY is the media
and presidential hopefuls avoiding
this issue.

Sent by jerry a. Myers | 11:57 PM ET | 12-27-2007

Guiliani saying he has security and foreign policy credentials doesn't mean he has them. He doesn't.

Ditto for Clinton. She may have a list of advisors to assemble, but she's not ready to lead.

The only candidate entitled to credit on the issue of Pakistan is Joe Biden. He has real experience and knowledge on these issues. Compare the quality of ALL the candidates' responses to Bhutto's death - Biden already sounds like a president. I wish he could take office next week.

JoeBiden.com (you have to do your own research as our media has failed us this election cycle)

Sent by Amy in upstate NY | 2:38 PM ET | 12-28-2007

Assassination is not a pretty subject to discuss on the internet.

With the new legislation the Democrats have passed, talking about assassination could put a person in Guantanamo Bay.

Yes, I'm scared of the new Jane Harman and her cohorts of the new online antiterrorism legislation. So, I'm not going to talk about assassination.

What I want to talk about is the secret service if Hillary becomes president. How many of Hillary's closest secret service people would be women?

I mean, there's got to be some. Who's going to follow President Clinton into a public bathroom at a fund raiser?

But those stalwarts who are ready to stop a bullet for their president on the podium, how many will be women?

On the same line of thinking, if Barack becomes president, how many of his secret service agents will be Hispanic?

fred camorra call

Sent by fred camorra call | 8:45 PM ET | 12-28-2007

MOST of the presidential hopefuls
follow the media questions on Bhutto's assassination. NOT the average american question. 'WHY is
the NUCLEAR stability in Pakistan
rarely mention.' WHY is the new era
of atomic data proven wealth of
data an non-topic.' THE media allow
the presidential folks literally
escape the hot atomic issue.

Sent by jerry a. Myers | 12:22 AM ET | 12-29-2007

Then President Jimmy Carter signed Presidential Order 12036 banning assassination of foreign enemy heads of state.

Ronald Reagan thouroughly trounced Carter at the elections, and sent in troops into Panama to arrest Manual Noriega. The Panamanian drug dealer could well have been killed by troops had he not finally surrendered without a fight.

Reagan has a supercarrier named after him, Carter is generally treated as an afterthought by the American public.

Reagan considered using B-52s to carpet bomb Lidya's Qaddafi's living space after terrorist bombings in Vienna and Rome that killed several Americans (Not to negate mentioning Libya's connection to Lockerbie).

Instead of the carpet bombing, Reagan ordered a submarine launched Tomahawk missile into Qaddafi's house. Qaddafi luckily survived. But Qaddafi has pretty much gotten out of the business of killing American travelers.

Bill Clinton relaxed Executive Order 12333 and used target killing assassinations in Afghanistan and the Sudan in response to Al Qaeda bombings of American embassies.

In hindsight, maybe a carpet bombing of a fifty block radius around Saddam would have as a target killing operation. Of course, in hindsight, maybe George Bush Sr. should not have called General Schwartzkopff's troops back fifty miles out of Baghdad during the First Persian Gulf War. Lessons are learned the hard way.

There are many instances of target killings of terrorist leaders that have gone pretty much favored by the majority American public.

You could say that three thousand people were assassinated on 9/11.

Most Americans feel that a target killing of Saddam before sending in the troops would have been a very good move.

Time to look at the brighter future of terrorist warfare. Killing one terrorist can save the lives of thousands of Americans.

fred camorra call

Sent by fred camorra call | 11:47 AM ET | 12-31-2007

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