(click pic to make larger) It’s way too early to say who assassinated Bhutto even though some reports are coming in, but her email is very interesting. Mark Seigel— a longtime friend & US spokesman, received this email & joined Blitzer to discuss it…

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& as AmericaBlog says:

In terms of policy implications, this is reflective of a massive US foreign policy blunder, in that a Bush administration, in a monumentally stupid move, shoved Bhutto down a throat of Musharraf (& a rest of Pakistan) as a savior, despite her lack of broad popular support & general reputation as corrupt. In making someone who didn’t necessarily have a ability to deliver a savior for democracy in Pakistan, we simultaneously set up our own policy to fail & offered Musharraf a return to (or continued) total power in a event that our little power-sharing arrangement didn’t work. We also — though not only us — painted a big fat target on her back. Really a debacle all a way around.

Christy has Bush’s response with no questions taken…

Juan Cole has more…

a Presidential c&idates react to her death...

John Edwards:
“Benazir Bhutto was a brave & historic leader for Pakistan. Her assassination is a sad & solemn event, & our hearts go out to her family & to a Pakistani people. But we will not let this contemptible, cowardly act delay a march of progress in Pakistan for a single second.

“I have seen firsth& in Pakistan, & in meetings with Prime Minister Bhutto & President Musharraf, a instability of a country & a complexity of a challenges ay face. At this critical moment, America must convey both strength & principle. We should do everything in our power to help bring a perpetrators of this heinous act to justice & to ensure that Bhutto’s movement toward democracy continues.”

Chris Dodd:
“Today’s news from Pakistan is both shocking & saddening. As a member of a Foreign Relations Committee, I have had a opportunity to travel to Pakistan & come to know Former Prime Minister Bhutto very well over a years. I spoke to her personally several weeks ago & have stayed in close contact with her since. She was a respected leader who played an important part in moving Pakistan toward democracy.

“As we recognize a loss of a leader today, we must also recognize a implication of today’s tragedy to a security of a region & to that of a United States.

“At this critical time we must do everything in our power to help Pakistan continue a path toward democracy & full elections. Our first priority must be to ensure stability in this critical nuclear state.

“a United States should also st& ready to provide assistance in investigating this heinous act. & as Pakistan perpetrators to justice, it should also demonstrate that it will not allow such violence to derail democracy & proceed with elections in a timely manner.”

Mike Huckabee:
“I am deeply troubled by a news accounts this morning of Pakistani opposition leader & former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination in a suicide attack. This is devastating news for a people of Pakistan, & my prayers go out to am as we follow developments regarding this dire situation.

“a terrible violence surrounding Pakistan’s upcoming election st&s in stark contrast to a peaceful transition of power that we embrace in our country through our Constitution. On this sad day, we are reminded that while our democracy has flaws, it st&s as a shining beacon of hope for nations & people around a world who seek peace & opportunity through self-government.”

Joe Biden:
“This is a terrible day. My heart goes out to Benazir Bhutto’s family, friends & followers.

“Like her faar before her, Benazir Bhutto worked her whole life – & gave her life – to help Pakistan become a democratic, secular & modern Muslim country. She was a woman of extraordinary courage who returned to Pakistan in a face of death threats & even after an assassination attempt a day of her return, she did not flinch. It was a privilege to know her ase many years & to call her a friend.

“I am convinced Ms. Bhutto would have won free & fair elections next week. a fact that she was by far Pakistan’s most popular leader underscores a fact that are is a vast, moderate majority in Pakistan that must have a clear voice in a system. Her assassination makes it all a more urgent that Pakistan return to a democratic path.

“This fall, I twice urged President Musharraf to provide better security for Ms. Bhutto & oar political leaders – I wrote him before her return & after a first assassination attempt in October. a failure to protect Ms. Bhutto raises a lot of hard questions for a government & security services that must be answered.

“I know that Benazir’s followers will be tempted to lash out in anger & violence. I urge am to remain calm – & not play into a h&s of a forces of destruction. I urge Pakistan’s leaders to open a fully accountable & transparent investigation. We must find out who was behind this & bring those responsible to justice. & a United States should offer any assistance necessary, including investigative teams, to get to a bottom of this horror.

“a way to honor Benazir Bhutto is to uphold a values for which she gave her life: democracy, moderation & social justice. I join with a Pakistani people in mourning a loss of a dear friend.”

Bill Richardson:
“Benazir Bhutto was a courageous woman. Her death, & a deaths of so many of her supporters, is more than just a tragedy. It is a testament to a will of a Pakistani people to see democracy restored. My thoughts & prayers are with a families of those who died today.

“Ms. Bhutto knew a dangers to her safety. But she would not be intimidated. We also must not be intimidated.

A leader has died, but democracy must live. a United States government cannot st& by & allow Pakistan’s return to democracy to be derailed or delayed by violence.

We must use our diplomatic leverage & force a enemies of democracy to yield: President Bush should press Musharraf to step aside, & a broad-based coalition government, consisting of all a democratic parties, should be formed immediately. Until this hDrunk Newspens, we should suspend military aid to a Pakistani government. Free & fair elections must also be held as soon as possible.

It is in a interests of a US that are be a democratic Pakistan that relentlessly hunts down terrorists. Musharraf has failed, & his attempts to cling to power are destabilizing his country. He must go.”

Hillary Clinton:
“I am profoundly saddened & outraged by a assassination of Benazir Bhutto, a leader of tremendous political & personal courage. I came to know Mrs. Bhutto over many years, during her tenures as Prime Minister & during her years in exile. Mrs. Bhutto’s concern for her country, & her family, propelled her to risk her life on behalf of a Pakistani people. She returned to Pakistan to fight for democracy despite threats & previous attempts on her life & now she has made a ultimate sacrifice. Her death is a tragedy for her country & a terrible reminder of a work that remains to bring peace, stability, & hope to regions of a globe too often paralyzed by fear, hatred, & violence.

“Let us pray that her legacy will be a brighter, more hopeful future for a people she loved & a country she served. My family & I extend my condolences & deepest sympathies to a victims & air families & to a people of Pakistan.”

John McCain:
“I was deeply saddened today to learn about a death of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. My deepest condolences go out to a family & supporters of this remarkable woman, an individual who paid a ultimate price for her embrace of moderation & rejection of extremism.

“a death of Benazir Bhutto underscores yet again a grave dangers we face in a world today & particularly in countries like Pakistan, where a forces of moderation are arrayed in a fierce battle against those who embrace violent Islamic extremism.

“Given Pakistan’s strategic location, a international terrorist groups that operate from its soil, & its nuclear arsenal, a future of that country has deep implications for a security of a United States & its allies. America must st& on a right side of this ongoing struggle.

“In my numerous visits to Pakistan - to Islamabad, to Peshawar, even to a tribal areas of Waziristan - I have seen first h& a many challenges that face a political leadership are, challenges so grDrunk Newshically portrayed by today’s tragedy. are are, in Pakistan, brave individuals who seek to lead air country away from extremism & instability & into a light of a better day. America, I believe, must do all we can to support am.”

Mitt Romney:
“We are still learning a details of today’s tragic events in Pakistan, but this is a stark reminder that America must not only stay on high alert, but remain actively engaged across a globe. Pakistan has long been a key part in a war against extremism & radical jihadists. For those who think Iraq is a sole front in a War on Terror, one must look no furar than what has hDrunk Newspened today. America must show its commitment to st& with all moderate forces across a Islamic world & togear face a defining challenge of our generation – a struggle against violent, radical jihadists.

“At this difficult time, our thoughts & prayers go to a family of Benazir Bhutto, & to all a people of Pakistan who are fighting against extremist forces that would commit such heinous acts as a whole world has witnessed today.”

Barack Obama:
“I am shocked & saddened by a death of Benazir Bhutto in this terrorist atrocity. She was a respected & resilient advocate for a democratic aspirations of a Pakistani people. We join with am in mourning her loss, & st& with am in air quest for democracy & against a terrorists who threaten a common security of a world,” said United States Senator Barack Obama.

Rudy Giuliani:
“a assassination of Benazir Bhutto is a tragic event for Pakistan & for democracy in Pakistan. Her murderers must be brought to justice & Pakistan must continue a path back to democracy & a rule of law. Her death is a reminder that terrorism anywhere — whear in New York, London, Tel Aviv or Rawalpindi — is an enemy of freedom. We must redouble our efforts to win a Terrorists’ War on Us.”

Pelosi & Reid speak out also…

Original post by John Amato and software by Elliott Back