December 27, 2007

Go to Original

December 27, 2007, 12:14 pm

THE CAUCUS, New York Times

Candidates React to Bhutto’s Death

By Marc Santora

Updated | 5:15 p.m. The assassination of Benazir Bhutto is already rippling through the race for the White House, and presenting a real-time test for candidates to show how their campaigns react to an unfolding international crisis.

Several of the candidates, in appearances and statements today, noted that they had had personal contact with Ms. Bhutto. Appearing in Urbandale this morning, Mr. McCain addressed the situation right off the bat and without prompting, calling the assassination “a great tragedy” and adding that the United States must “make sure this doesn’t unravel” given the country’s nuclear capabilities.

Senator Joseph Biden emphasized at a press conference in Des Moines that he was speaking as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, not as a presidential candidate. After expressing sadness at her death – “It’s a pretty terrible day for Pakistan and the Bhutto family,” he said – he repeatedly asked for a transparent investigation into Ms. Bhutto’s death. He said he had spoken with Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, this morning, and had urged her to offer the forensic services of the F.B.I. and other security agencies to Pakistan.

Mr. Biden said he had twice pressured General Musharraf to provide better security for Ms. Bhutto and had included details of what that security should have been.

Mr. Biden said that while he was not a close friend of Ms. Bhutto, he said he had spoken with her twice since the last attempt on her life in October, and said he was impressed by her optimism and courage. “I knew that she knew that it was a distinct possibility” that there would be another attempt on her life, he said. “It took a lot of courage,” he said.

“She was fully aware there might be chicanery,” he said.

Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, who has been emphasizing strength against terrorism in his campaign, said the assassination highlighted the need to be vigilant in fighting terrorism:

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

Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, issued a statement, saying in part:

“Pakistan has long been a key partner in the war against extremism and radical jihadists. For those who think Iraq is the sole front in the War on Terror, one must look no further than what has happened today. America must show its commitment to stand with all moderate forces across the Islamic world and together face the defining challenge of our generation –- the struggle against violent, radical jihadists.”

In the Democratic field, the assassination comes as Senators Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York have been trying to establish their credentials on the foreign policy front. Reacting to the developments, Mr. Obama said in a statement:

“I am shocked and saddened by the death of Benazir Bhutto in this terrorist atrocity. She was a respected and resilient advocate for the democratic aspirations of the Pakistani people. We join with them in mourning her loss, and stand with them in their quest for democracy and against the terrorists who threaten the common security of the world.”

At a campaign stop in Denison, Iowa, Senator Clinton spoke of the assassination in personal terms—she knew Mrs. Bhutto, read her biography, and felt for her children, she said — but did not address how, as president, she would reconcile that country’s deeply divided political factions. “I certainly will do anything I can to support the continuing efforts to democratize a very important and critical nation,” she merely said.

In a statement, she added:

“I came to know Mrs. Bhutto over many years, during her tenures as Prime Minister and during her years in exile. Her death is a tragedy for her country and a terrible reminder of the work that remains to bring peace, stability, and hope to regions of the globe too often paralyzed by fear, hatred, and violence.”

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf took the time for a conversation with John Edwards earlier this afternoon, Mr. Edwards told reporters in Decorah, Iowa.

“He called me because I told the ambassador that I’d like to speak to him,” said Mr. Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina and Democratic presidential candidate. “We had a conversation in which I
urged him to continue the democratization process. He told me, he gave his assurances that he intended to do that. And we also spoke about having international independent investigators allowed into the country for transparency purposes and credibility purposes, to determine what happened.”

Ms. Bhutto’s assassination has been a running topic today, mentioned in Mr. Edwards’ stump speech and at his first news conference of the day. In Waukon, he called Ms. Bhutto “an extraordinary and courageous
woman who obviously cared more about democracy, and the people of Pakistan and the children of Pakistan, than she did about the great risk to her own life.”

Julie Bosman, Cate Doty, Jodi Kantor and Gerry Mullany contributed to this post.