Musharraf will use this assassination to shakedown Bush for more $$$

[kentuck]

It's already begun. The Musharraf government is reporting an intercept from "al Qaeda" claiming repsonsibility. And it may have been al Qaeda or an al Qaeda-type organization that murdered Bhutto? However, Musharraf has shown little interest in taking on al Qaeda in the last 6 years. However, he has used it as an excuse to sucker $10 billion dollars out of Bush. And expect him to get about $2-4 billion more to help catch the "al Qaeda" that committed this crime.

[blondeatlast]

1. For once, this is something the MSM DIDN'T seem to drop the ball on.

Hard to believe, but I heard it many, many times throughout the day yesterday and I followed the coverage closely due to having family in SE Asia.

I think there is enough public awareness of this now that it may not be successful--unless Britney's long lost brother shows up pregnant or something. :shrug:

[bdamomma]

2. and * will gladly back up a dictator.

[EVDebs]

3. They just got $5 Billion

$5 billion in U.S. aid for Pakistan military questioned

NEW YORK TIMES
By DAVID ROHDE, CARLOTTA GALL, ERIC SCHMITT and DAVID E. SANGER
Published: December 24, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/24/world/asia/24military.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

...and I hear they're squeezing out some more from the beleaugered US taxpayer.

[blondeatlast]

5. And troops, too. Both announcements came on Christmas Eve.

I think we know what the Christmas Eve news dump was...

[BOSSHOG]

4. ole bush can cut domestic spending

Maybe do away with medicare (who needs it?) to help his buds in the middle east. Stop social security payments to pay for more bases in Iraq. Those conservative values just warm the cockles of ones heart.

[IDemo]

6. I think the handwriting is already on the wall. Get out your checkbook.

From a NYT article dated Nov. 3, after Musharraf declared martial law:

"“There’s going to be a lot of visible wringing of hands, and urging Musharraf to declare his intentions,” she said. “But I don’t really see any alternative to continuing to work with him. They can’t just decide they’re going to blow off the whole country of Pakistan, because it sits right next to Afghanistan, where there are some 26,000 U.S. and NATO troops.”"

[bklyncowgirl]

7. I expect you're right. Also, the U.S. will not look too closely at Bhutto's security detail.

This is all too convenient for so many forces.

Musharraf gets rid of his main rival AND gets the perfect excuse to crack down on all dissent.

Al Qaeda gets to claim yet another victory against an ally of the Great Satan. We can expect another well produced video from a cave in the mountains of Pakistan soon.

Bush and the Republicans get to beat the terror drums once again.

The GOP may be able to rid itself of the highly inconvenient Mike Huckabee and hype the old warrior McCain, the CEO Romney or the neocon darling Giuliani to a reluctant base. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton, the most hawkish of the candidates, will use this assassination to point out the virtues of tried and true experience vs the crapshoot voters would be rolling if they went with a certain Illinois Senator.

The Bush administration will pony up the taxpayer dollars to help Mushy track down the real killers with, as usual, no questions asked. Congress will hand it over without a peep. Anyone who suggests that this is a bad idea and that Musharraf is part of the problem not part of the solution will be pilloried in the media.

Oil companies will get to enjoy the profits that go with more instability in the Middle East. Looking at the sudden rise in gas prices, this is already happening.

[kentuck]

9. Bingo!

I think you have pretty well captured it.

[thunder35]

8. stop giving them $$$