Immediate Lessons Gleaned From Bhutto's Murder

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto, former Pakistani Prime Minister and current candidate for that office, is an international disgrace. It is clearly not a shock, however.

Personally, I have feared for Bhutto's safety ever since she returned to Pakistan from which she had been exiled. The outspoken but personable and charismatic Bhutto was a fervent critic of the current Pakistani government, which had refused to offer her adequate security.

On numerous occasions Bhutto had stated that she knew her life would be in mortal danger. But she was willing to take that risk in order to advance the cause of liberty in her country.

Now she is a bona fide martyr for that cause.

Not only was Bhutto highly critical of the current Pakistani regime, which clearly has not done the job in helping the U.S. get bin Laden or squelch terrorism, but she had been an outspoken ally of the U.S. in the war on terror, and she had condemned radical Islamic Jihadists for their hate and violence.

Her loss is a stab into the heart of all of those around the world who love liberty.

We can glean some immediate lessons from her assassination, long before we see the real long-term repercussions that are most assuredly to occur.

First, Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups connected to Islamic Jihadists are very active and highly dangerous. The fact that the U.S. has not experienced a terrorist attack since 9/11 has lured Americans to sleep concerning the danger. Al Qaeda and other groups like it have not gone anywhere. They still wish to kill anyone who stands for liberty. Radical Islam is 100% diametrically opposed to liberty.

Second, Bhutto's assassination has sent a volatile area of the world into even more volatility. In fact, Pakistan itself teeters on the edge of internal collapse, the result of which would place its estimated 60 nuclear warheads into the hands of terrorists.

Third, President Bush's coining of the term 'the war on terror' was not just some political slogan. It is very real, and it IS most definitely a long term fight, just as Mr. Bush stated early-on. These people are not going away, and yes, they intend to kill us all if they get a chance.

Fourth, the assassination has put national security back on the front burner of the 2008 Presidential campaign in at least two ways. Our candidates are at risk with their close proximity to citizens in Iowa and New Hamphire. It's time to significantly beef up their security. Second, now more than ever we see the folly of electing to office a novice. On the Democratic side nobody among their slate of candidates has significant foreign policy experience besides Joe Biden.

On the Republican side, maturity, experience, and cool-headed rationality are key. Once again, this excludes political novices such as Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. It almost excludes Rudy except for his leadership in New York during 9/11. This leaves Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson, John McCain, and Ron Paul, all of whom have significant experience, maturity, and a steady hand.

Fifth, the Pakistani tragedy has brought President Bush back to the forefront of relevance. Far from being a lame duck, his leadership on the world stage is essential at a time such a this, and in the aftermath of the assassination, the repercussions of which we have not even begun to realize.