The U.S. government played a part in the return of Mrs. Benazir Bhutto to Pakistan. For what reason, I don't know, but it was clearly a mistake on everyone's part. The woman paid with her life.  

She had been schmoozing the Washington crowd for years. She had even hired a public-relations firm to help her do it at one point. In the past, the U.S. had pressured the Pakistani government to accept her as prime minister. She didn't last long in that office despite two terms and was ultimately exiled on charges of corruption and incompetence. Her husband has a notorious reputation for corruption. Her father was hanged, and two of her brothers were murdered.  

I don't think democracy lost a champion. I think she was just another representative of a feudal family that has always seen the government as an opportunity for personal enrichment. As for the crisis in Pakistan, it is a Pakistani crisis, not ours, and we should keep our nose out of Pakistan's internal affairs.  

The deal is this: When President Bush decided to overthrow of the government of Afghanistan, the Pakistan dictator, Pervez Musharraf, was approached in the usual imperial manner – would you rather be bombed or accept a few billion dollars to help us? Musharraf wisely decided to accept the few billions and has kept his end of the bargain.  

Part of his unpopularity is directly because he is seen as an ally of the U.S. We should keep our end, pay up and shut up. God knows, every time we have dumped an ally, we have ended up with an enemy in his place.  

The Bhutto Mistake