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By any estimation, the assassination of a political figure is always a multiple tragedy, since it defies our inherent sense of decency concerning how disputes among humans should be resolved. The December 27 killing of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto as she addressed an opposition rally in the town of Rawalpindi shocked the world, as news spread that an assassin had shot Bhutto twice and then blew himself up. Pakistan's political situation was already tense, amidst widespread dissatisfaction with the militaristic regime of President Pervez Musharraf, and upon news of opposition leader Bhutto's killing, rioting broke out in multiple locations.

There is much more about Benazir Bhutto than can be said here, but suffice it to say that given a choice between the left-of-center Peoples Party founded by Bhutto's father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and Musharraf's oppressive government, that even before the assassination there was no easy road to freedom and political stability in Pakistan. Since Pakistan has been viewed as an important, though often unreliable, ally in the U.S. war on terror, what affects Pakistan also affects the United States.

Often, the significance of a tragic event is found in its aftermath, and in the way other political leaders react to it. In our own nation, for example, the consolidation of government power in Washington and the initiation of a seemingly never-ending and inconclusive war on terror following 9-11 will undoubtedly have greater repercussions for our nation than did the terrorist attacks of that fateful day.

One figure who came to national prominence following 9-11, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, was among the first American public figures to weigh in with his comments about the Bhutto assassination. With his campaign having floundered lately, some analysts have speculated that the tragic events in Pakistan — a nation situated in close proximity to the war on terror's battlefield — will restore Giluiani's relevance as a viable candidate. Giuliani has made a call for increased U.S. involvement in Pakistan as part of the war on terror a theme of his campaign for several months, and today's events only served to underscore that message.

Giuliani said in a statement: "[Bhutto's] 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.''

Giuliani called for beefing up the war on terrorism by giving the Army 10 more brigades and increasing the Marine Corps ranks to 200,000 troops. But with U.S. troops already stretched to the limit in Iraq and Afghanistan, with new threats looming on the horizon in Iran, and with the situation in Pakistan boiling over, one can only wonder what it will require for the United States to finally extricate itself from its Middle East involvement.

One thing is certain, however. Rudy Giuliani is clearly prepared to ride the war on terror wave as long and as far as it can take him.

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