One Brave Woman

I am still trying to figure out Benazir Bhutto. She was one brave woman, to be sure. But how surprised were you when you heard that she was assassinated? I certainly wasn't. Sadly, I think most everyone knew that this was going to happen to her.

Here are my thoughts on her.

She was insanely courageous and was willing to risk her life. Pakistan is a mess and the mess in Pakistan is going to make our efforts in Afghanistan all the more difficult. I also believe that our efforts in Afghanistan are crucial---and that the war in Iraq has become a diversion on the war on terror which is very much taking place in Afghanistan and brewing in Pakistan along the border. Benazir Bhutto saw Pakistan beginning to crumble and seem to feel that she had an obligation and an ability to turn things around.

She also had to be painfully aware that the climate of the world is so hostile and intense at the moment that her return would be met violently. It might be that her courage was so great that she was willing to risk her life for what she believed in.

Or, maybe the second thing she did was that she chose to be a martyr. While this might be outlandish, people do make these choices. Oddly enough Christianity prospered when people were martyred for their faith. Islamic terrorism has thrived on the blood of those who killed themselves (and others) for Allah. Perhaps Benazir Bhutto saw being a martyr as her call and chose to die for her convictions.

Or, was she so naive as to believe that she would survive? Was she just plain out of her mind?

There are some things we can know right now.

The legacy of Benazir Bhutto will be that she was the first woman to lead an Islamic nation and she died fighting for the rights of her people. Whether be what took place or by design, she did become a martyr.

Additionally, a very dangerous region in the most dangerous part of the world, just became more dangerous.