On Bhutto

"If it means sacrificing our lives, if it means sacrificing our liberties to save Pakistan, then we are prepared to risk our lives and we are prepared to risk our liberties, but we are not prepared to surrender our great nation to the militants..." Another Bhutto gone. In the speech cited above, Bhutto was prepared to sacrifice both life and liberty for Pakistan. She has sacrificed her life. It seems increasingly likely that the rest of Pakistan will sacrifice its liberty. Pakinstan may survive under Musharaff, but the resultant country may not bear any resemblance to the promise it once held. Maybe the most poignant commentary is here: At a human level this is a tragedy like no other. Only a few days ago I was mentioning to someone that the single most tragic person in all of Pakistan - maybe all the world - is Nusrat Bhutto. Benazir’s mother. Think about it. Her husband, killed. One son poisoned. Another son assasinated. One daughter dead possibly of drug overdose. Another daughter rises to be Prime Minister twice, but jailed, exiled, and finally gunned down. Today, in shock, I can think only of Benazir Bhutto the human being. Tomorrow, maybe, I will think of politics. Najam and others deserve their time. But soon, too soon for many in the middle east, tomorrow will come. January 8 is right around the corner.