The murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto this morning marks a turning point in the strategic situation not only in Pakistan but across the region and the world. Iraq stands revealed as the side show that in truth it should have been from the beginning. A nuclear-armed nation of 165 million on the brink of chaos, with Osama bin Laden and a well-armed insurgency of religious fanatics already in place, casts all else in shadow. No more talk of Iraq as the "central front" or "ground zero" in the war on terror. It was a costly, deadly distraction that has hamstrung U.S. military and diplomatic options now that a true emergency has occurred.
Direct responsibility for the attack on Bhutto is yet to be determined. Although the act has the hallmarks of an Al Qaeda suicide operation, the ease with which the attacker gained proximity to Bhutto raises questions about complicity on the part of the heavily-infiltrated Pakistani security apparatus. At a minimum, there is a strong suggestion of negligence, and the Bhutto camp has revealed that her requests for specific enhanced security measures (such as radio jamming to neutralize bomb detonation devices) were ignored by the Musharraf government.
Indirectly, however, responsibility for this catastrophic development extends to U.S. meddling. The high-risk strategy pursued by our government was to prop up an unpopular dictator while brokering a power-sharing agreement with the exiled opposition leader most to our liking. Benazir Bhutto was injected into the country in furtherance of our gambit. The likelihood of her death was evident to Bhutto, as revealed in heart-breaking interviews given before she returned to Pakistan, and it certainly should have been clear to the U.S. In the event, our efforts to play puppet-master failed, and the aftermath of our failure is so perilous as to stagger the imagination.
Yesterday, Judge Peter Sikora of the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court announced his candidacy for the Ohio Supreme Court along with Judge Joseph Russo. They'll be running for two different seats, not against one another.I completely support what Judge Sikora had to say, as quoted by the Toledo Blade:
Judge Sikora, 56, sought the Democratic nomination for what is now Justice Robert Cupp's seat, but late in the game, the Ohio Democratic Party courted Ben Espy, a former state senator. Judge Sikora lost the primary election.
"I wasn't bitter," he said. "I was disappointed. I worked really hard and thought I was in a position to win, but the party thought otherwise. I got the short end of the stick last time, but I think that's one of the reasons I was approached this time."
To be honest, I was very disappointed when ODP intervened in 2006. I think that it was a serious mistake. Right or wrong, we elect our judges in Ohio. And it certainly seemed as if Judge Sikora was campaigning hard for this position until ODP jumped in.
In 2008, as the Blade article points out, our candidates face the VERY difficult task of defeating sitting incumbents. I hope that the state party provides tons of resources and support for Judge Sikora's campaign. For one thing, they HAVE a lot more resources (both financial and otherwise) than last time. And Judge Sikora deserves all of the help than we can muster.
Alex Parker has a nice interview with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Avon) in today's Lorain Morning Journal, talking about his first year in office.
I will not be posting much (if at all) from now until December 30th. Anonymous commenting has been turned off due to a spate of spam comments, and the Video of the Day feature is off the sidebar for the time being.
Jessica Wehrman of the Dayton Daily News reports on an item in Roll Call (subscription required) suggesting that the Club For Growth might consider backing former state representative Ron Hood (R-Ashville) against chosen successor State Sen. Steve Austria (R-Beavercreek) in the GOP primary in the 7th Ohio Congressional District, where Rep. Dave Hobson (R-Springfield) is retiring. Austria's vote for Gov. Taft's 2003 budget is the apparent motivation for Club For Growth to jump into this race.
Hood has taken out petitions and reportedly sought the endorsement of the Franklin County Republican Party this week, but he has not yet filed the petitions or made a public announcement. Clark County GOP Chair Dan Harkins (R-Springfield) is already an announced candidate on the GOP side, so there will be a primary whether Hood runs or not. The Roll Call article excerpted by Wehrman recounts the "tense relationship" between Harkins and Austria (the former reportedly doesn't invite the latter to county GOP events). It sounds like there could be another bitter and expensive GOP primary in the works.
By the way, Wehrman only talks about the 7th District, but the Roll Call piece apparently also indicates possible Club For Growth interest in the other two open GOP-held seats, OH-15 and OH-16. It seems like a stretch for them to help political newcomer Robert Wagone