Meanwhile, in Pakistan...

Perhaps this was inevitable given the events (and previous attacks) of the past six months, but Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated this morning, shot to death as part of a larger suicide attack that killed at least 20 others.

This tragedy comes a little over a week before the parliamentary elections seen as vital in the wake of President Musharraf's emergency rule two months ago. Earlier in the day, four people were also killed at a rally for the other opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif, though he was not there at the time. No one has claimed credit for the attacks, but the speculation is flying (Taliban? al-Qaeda? Musharraf goons?).

The White House condemned the attacks (obviously), though for them this is more than the loss of a potential ally... it's another deadly blow to their strategy for the region. I am sure that they realize now that supporting Musharraf has been a mistake, though a necessary one in the eyes of the neocons (hey, Pakistan only has nukes, not oil). That's why they were betting the farm on Bhutto to return to power in Pakistan, as she was U.S.-friendly (like Musharraf), but also aggressive against the extremists (unlike Musharraf). Now she is a martyr to democracy, and-- as in Afghanistan, Iraq, etc-- the U.S. has no Plan B, just a dictator who is sure to be staying put for the foreseeable future.

I'll leave further punditry to the experts, but this is not good news to end 2007 with.

[PS- Reactions/condemnations from India, Iran, and elsewhere around the world.

UPDATE: Sharif says his party will boycott the elections; calls for Musharraf's resignation.]