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Candidates Condemn Bhutto Assassination

December 27, 2007 10:34 AM

ABC News Reports: The assassination of Benazir Bhutto brought immediate and swift condemnation from many parts of the world.  Only seven days before the critical Iowa caucuses, the candidates vying for the 2008 Republican and Democratic presidential nominations wasted no time responding.

Speaking at a town hall in Decorah, Iowa, former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., told supporters that he just finished speaking to Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf by phone from Islamabad, Pakistan.

He says that he urged Musharraf to continue the democratization process and is advocating for an international investigation into Bhutto's death, so the world could see credibility in the process.

On the phone with MSNBC, Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., said the Bush administration has put too much pressure on Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf to root out Islamic radicals from his country and in the mountainous region between Pakistan and Afghanistan. He said that work should have been done by the U.S., but the administration was focused on Iraq.

Later on Radio Iowa, Dodd took a veiled swipe at Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., when discussing the attack. 

"We need to have a person in that Oval Office come January 20th next year that when the unexpected like this happens, it will be a person who's dealt with issues," he said, "I've spent 26 years on the Foreign Relations Committee ... I've known her for a long time, so I'm not encountering these issues for the first time and I think as people get closer to Caucus date, these events and events like this are going to highlight the importance and understanding that good, soaring speeches aren't the experience we need at this moment and frankly, even being the First Lady of the United States, it doesn't necessarily qualify for you for dealing with these issues as I have over the last quarter of a century on a daily basis."

In a press release, Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M., said Bhutto's death was "more than just a tragedy" and said President Bush should call on Musharraf to resign.

"A leader has died, but democracy must live. The United States government cannot stand by and allow Pakistan's return to democracy to be derailed or delayed by violence," Richardson wrote. "President Bush should press Musharraf to step aside, and a broad-based coalition government, consisting of all the democratic parties, should be formed immediately."

Richardson said the U.S. should suspend military aid to the Pakistani government.

"It is in the interests of the US that there be a democratic Pakistan that relentlessly hunts down terrorists. Musharraf has failed, and his attempts to cling to power are destabilizing his country. He must go," he wrote.

Former mayor Rudy Giuliani, R-N.Y., in a paper statement:

"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."

ABC News' Jake Tapper, reporting from the campaign trail in Iowa, notes Giuliani is releasing his first national campaign TV ad on Friday which is on the subject of terrorism, an issue Republicans trust him to handle better than any of his rivals, even here in Iowa where he's locked in a 4-way race for 3rd place. The ad will run on national Fox News Channel and on cable/local channels in New Hampshire and South Carolina. You can watch the spot, in which he invokes 9/11 several times, here.  And read more about Giuliani's bid by clicking here.

Speaking in Des Moines, Iowa Thursday, Senator Barack Obama, said:

"I want to obviously state how shocked and saddened we all are with the death of former Prime Minister Bhutto," he said. "We have to make sure we are clear as Americans that we stand for democracy and that we will be steadfast in our desire to end the kinds of terrorist act blighted not just Pakistan but other parts of the world."

Former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., also issued a paper statement:

"This is a stark reminder that America must not only stay on high alert, but remain actively engaged across the globe.  Pakistan has long been a key part 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."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., also issued a paper statement, saying Bhutto "was a remarkable woman" who "paid the ultimate price for her embrace of moderation and rejection of extremism."

"The death of Benazir Bhutto underscores yet again the grave dangers we face in the world today and particularly in countries like Pakistan, where the forces of moderation are arrayed in a fierce battle against those who embrace violent Islamic extremism," he said in the statement. "There are, in Pakistan, brave individuals who seek to lead their country away from extremism and instability and into the light of a better day.  America, I believe, must do all we can to support them."

Speaking in Lawton, Iowa, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., said: "I have known Benazir Bhutto for a dozen years, and  I knew her as a leader knew her as someone who is willing to take risks to pursue democracy on behalf of the people of Pakistan," she said. "The people of our country stand in solidarity with those who believe as we do in the rights of people to be heard at the ballot box."

At the top of his campaign stop in Orlando, Florida, former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., said the Bhutto attack is a terrible incident for Pakistan, and for the world. He said it is a reminder that so many places in the world change their leaders with bullets not ballots.

Former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., campaigning in Des Moines, Iowa, said the situation in Pakistan is part of a larger war.

Thompson said, "It looks like Al Qaeda is taking credit for this."

However while al Qaeda is considered by the U.S. to be a likely suspect in the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, U.S. intelligence officials say they cannot confirm an initial claim of responsibility for the attack, supposedly from an al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan.   

"I've been saying all morning that it was Al Qaeda backed," Thompson said. "This is a dangerous world we live in. This is a part of much much bigger conflict we're engaged in ... This is not a criminal investigation. This is not a criminal act. This is a war. These people will probably will not be found and punished. They are small operators in a global conflict."

Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., called Bhutto "a close associate" and a "truly, truly courageous woman."

The Senator  also took pains to say he was making his remarks in his capacity as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and not as a candidate for president but still managed to promote his foreign policy credentials over those of his opponents.

"I would be holding this press conference were I not a candidate for president. I doubt any of the other candidates would be holding a press conference were they not candidates. That's not a criticism, it's an observation," Biden said.

ABC News' Raelyn Johnson, Donna Hunter, Sunlen Miller, Jan Simmonds, Eloise Harper, Christine Byun, Brian Wheeler, Kevin Chupka, Matt Stuart, David Muir, Brian Wheeler and Jake Tapper contributed to this report.

December 27, 2007 in Giuliani, Rudy, Obama, Barack, Vote 2008: Democrats, Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (10)

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