Bhutto and the Campaign...

Over at the Riddleblog, Dr. Kim Riddlebarger from "The White Horse Inn" and writer of books such as "A Case for Amillennialism" posts a great response to how these candidates in this year's election are using Bhutto's death to show they are good presidential credentials. I think ALL candidates blew it on this one, and here is what Dr. Riddlebarger says, and I agree:

"Is anyone else as as disgusted as I am at all the presidential campaigns for using the tragic assassination of Benazir Bhutto as a way to shamelessly tout their own supposed foreign policy credentials?

These guys (and a gal) have spent the last two days knocking each other over to get before a camera or a mic to pontificate about something they obviously know very little about. Unless you are already in the White House and privy to hard intelligence, you probably don't know squat about what really happened and who did the dastardly deed

The most egregious examples so far are ambulance-chaser turned senator, John Edwards telling a rally that he just got off the phone with President Musharraf in Islamabad. Can't you just see that conversation from Musharraf's end? He's in a high-level meeting with his nation exploding all around him and an aide walks in and says, "Mr. President . . . There's a John Edwards on the phone for you. He says its important . . ." Can't you just imagine Musharraf's reaction. "Who?"

Then there is John McCain. "I knew Benazir Bhutto. I've known Musharraf for years. I've talked with general so and so . . . I talked with Moses and Abraham." And then McCain has the nerve to tell American voters what Musharraf should do, as if McCain was a candidate for Pakistani generalissimo. McCain's an America hero, but recounting the names in his address book on camera to jump-start his campaign is pretty cynical.

Huckabee didn't even know marshal law in Pakistan had been suspended. Hillary tells us she knew Bhutto well, but only because Hillary had contact with her as first-lady, not in any meaningful political/policy sense. Now Hillary wants an "international investigation." Like the UN is competent to investigate this . . .

Yes, I know American voters benefit by seeing their presidential candidates react under pressure and respond to world events. But so far I'm not impressed with any of them.

The only candidate who has made any sense to me on this is Ron Paul. "Why should we be telling the Pakistanis what to do? Pakistan is a sovereign nation." And Ron Paul is not exactly what you'd call "presidential" nor is he remotely electable.

And we wonder why less than 50% of Americans vote? The cynicism shown by the lot of them is disgusting to me. And just why is it that we are going through this eleven months before the election?"

Props: The Riddleblog