60 Minutes: Musharraf Blames Bhutto for Her Own Death
By Bill W. Sunday Jan 06, 2008 12:29pm
On 60 Minutes Sunday Lara Logan interviewed Pakistan's President dictator Pervez Musharraf about accusations that he may be to blame for the assassination of his chief political rival, Benazir Bhutto, and what exactly he is doing to combat the resurgence of the Taliban and al Qaeda, whom his government claims was behind her killing, and whether his government is even trying to find Osama bin Laden.
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On all counts, Musharraf's answers were lacking. He repeatedly denies that he was to blame for anything at all and points fingers elsewhere, callously blaming Bhutto for her own death by saying that "it was she to blame alone. Nobody else. Responsibility is hers." Apparently, in his mind, the man who climbed up on the back of the car and shot her in the back of the head and the suicide bomber who blew himself up and everyone else around had nothing to do with it.
Now I don't know whether or not all of the rumors are true that Musharraf or his government actually had a part in Bhutto's death or whether he should be held accountable for denying her repeated requests for more security, but he certainly did himself no favors in this interview to convince anyone otherwise. It's simply ridiculous to blame her "alone" for her death, and his refusal to accept blame for anything, his claims of successes in combating extremists in his country despite all the evidence to the contrary and his apathy towards whether or not his government is even looking for Osama bin Laden was - well - eerily Bush-like.
UPDATE: (Nicole) Some scary drumbeats being heard as far as Pakistan. According to the NY Times, the US is considering covert push in Pakistan (how covert it can be when it's in the NYT is another story), which Tom Hayden at HuffPo also weighs in on as well with a warning to Barack Obama to ratchet back the rhetoric. Moreover, given the news coming out in international circles (because you'll never hear about it in the US media) from Sibel Edmonds about our own actions in allowing Pakistan to develop their nuclear program, can we afford to take such an aggressive stance against Pakistan without risking any lingering goodwill we still hold on the global stage?
(full transcript after the jump)
Logan: The night of the assassination, President Musharraf believes Bhutto broke a basic rule of security in a crowded charged political rally - to be particularly careful when leaving.
Musharaff: She should have just gone and moved fast, gone and waved, yes. But if you're standing and -- because you are vulnerable. You're vulnerable and people are charging. And all the film that you see, people are charging. Now, when people are there by the hundreds swarming around you, this man is one of them. Who can check these people at that stage?
Logan: And the mistake she made, if I understand you correctly, was stopping?
Musharraf: Yes. But then the mistake was not that. I mean, God was kind -- she went into the car in spite of the fact that she was waving and all that. She did go into the car. Now is the point. Why did she stand outside the car?
Logan: Why did she stand up in the hatch?
Musharraf: Entirely. Who's to blame?
Logan: Who is to blame?
Musharaff: Only she.
Logan: So Benazir Bhutto, in your words, should bear some responsibility for what took place for her own death?
Musharraf: For standing up outside the car, I think it was she to blame alone. Nobody else. Responsibility is hers.
Logan: Don't you think it will make her supporters crazy to hear you say that?
Musharraf: Well, I don't think so. I mean, that's the fact. She shouldn't have stood up.
Logan: Just so I'm clear, even with the benefit of hindsight, you feel that your government, you and your government, did everything possible to give Benazir Bhutto the security she needed?
Musharraf: Yes, absolutely. She had the threat. So she was given more security than any other person.
Logan: Musharraf conceded that Bhutto's return was a bitter pill to swallow. It was part of a deal engineered by the Bush administration after a year of political unrest and extremist violence in Pakistan.
Logan: There was a year of secret negotiations; the United States administration has made their views very clear. President Bush endorsed Bhutto's return, Condoleezza Rice, they had top State Department officials meeting with her. You yourself went to Dubai and met with her twice.
Musharraf: Well, yes. All this was going - you seem to be well-informed. Very good. Yes it was happening, I agree.
Logan: One of the reasons Benazir Bhutto had such popularity amongst top U.S. officials is that she cast herself as the person who would take action against al Qaeda. Who would go into the tribal areas. Who would get Bin Laden. Who would do all the things that she said you were not doing.
Musharraf: No. Now, again, these are misperceptions of American thinking. All American media, some officials who don't know Pakistan.
Logan: So what are you doing to find Osama bin Laden? What is Pakistan doing? What end are you actually still today - seven years - under you….
Musharraf: We're fighting terrorism. And we are fighting extremism.
Logan: But the question is really within that fight against extremism, what are you doing - if you like - to find Osama Bin Laden?
Musharraf: This is a very long answer.
Logan: That's what Americans want to know.
Musharraf: Okay. We are fighting first of all al Qaeda. Let's take al Qaeda. We have arrested or eliminated about 700 al Qaeda leaders. Only Pakistan has done it. And lately also whoever has been killed or arrested, I challenge -- who else, which other country has done this?
Logan: Well, which other country has Osama bin Laden?
Musharraf: No, I challenge-- I don't accept that at all. There is no proof whatsoever that he is here in Pakistan.
Logan: But are you looking for him?
Musharraf: No, again, the same answer. We are not particularly looking for him but we are operating against terrorists and al Qaeda and militant Taliban. And in the process, obviously, it is combined, maybe we are looking for him also. Yes. If he's here?
Logan: Musharraf was quick to blame Bhutto's assassination on al Qaeda, particularly a local extremist named Beitullah Mehsud, who operates out of Pakistan's lawless tribal region where both al Qaeda and the Taliban enjoy widespread support.
Musharraf: Point two percent of our population is in South Waziristan and North Waziristan. Point two percent.
Logan: Well, that point two percent has be able to cause a lot of trouble.
Musharraf: Yes. We must not say that Taliban are in Pakistan. Pakistan, this is a frontier region. Two tribal agencies of Pakistan.
Logan: It's still inside Pakistan. Any way you look at it.
Musharraf: But it's a small part the population and it is this population where they hide and they get support.
Logan: But they regrouped under ...
Musharraf: Yes, indeed.
Logan: …your watch?"
Musharraf: No, they regrouped because -- not under us. Because of Afghanistan. Okay?
Logan: But under your term as president.
Musharraf: Yes. Yes, indeed.
Logan: They have regrouped and they are stronger than ever.
Musharraf: Well, Taliban. Yes. They may be. They may be. They may be getting stronger. I can’t say for sure.
Logan: Does the U.S. share any of the blame in this?
Musharraf: Yes, of course. I mean everyone, the whole coalition should share the blame for not succeeding.
Logan: Of all the issues 60 Minutes discussed with Musharraf, the one that seemed to affect him the most personally, was about accusations that he may somehow have been involved in Bhutto's death.
Logan: There have been suggestions among certain quarters, particularly amongst Benazir Bhutto's supporters, that you may have had a hand in Bhutto's death.
Musharraf: This is unfortunately a very baseless allegation. Nobody has a right to blame anyone for killing anyone unless they have the proof. I've lived in a family which believes in values - it believes in certain principles. It stands for character. And I stand for that. Why would I be informing her about all these intelligence reports that we have against her, the threat to her? Why would I be doing that? Why would I be concerned about telling her all this? 'Don’t go there, don’t do this, don’t do that.' So these are all indicators. I can't prove it legally, I can't prove my innocence legally. But I can prove it only through what I stand for as a person.
Watch the full interview online on the CBS website here.
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Yeah, But Musharraf Promises a Full Investigation of … Sunroofs!
Seems he's a graduate from the Bush (I'm not responsible for anything) Training Program...
Musharaff easily could have provided police vehicles that would have ridden outrigger to her car, depriving the shooter of a point-blank shot. I can't decide which world leader is the biggest sack of shit, Bush or Musharaff. They are in the same league and made for each other.
Mushariff continued, "If the bitch has died during the last assassination, she wouldnt have been killed in this one. Stupid bitch. You think it's cheap to hire those guys?"
Musharraf is a DICK. I would bet the farm HE is the one who arranged this hit. Dead folk don't talk do they Musharraf?
Pervez Musharraf and bush met in minneapolis between flights.
wonder which one has the wider stance? not bush, he just waived some paper under the stall partition.
This crazy mother fucker's been hanging around Bush and Cheney too much.
Musharraf obviously had the most to gain from the death of Bhutto, his biggest threat in the upcoming elections. The diversion bomb and then the assassination by gunshot to the head seems like a professional hit, something that would be set up by an intelligence apparatus like ISI.
In all fairness, she should not have stood up and stuck her head through the sunroof. Every where she went people died.
The real story behind this, is not the Musharraf govt., it's the fact that cbs had the leader of a volatile nation in a chair and proceeded to ask the most dumb fucking questions imaginable. Cheers to lara logan for being a complete and utter tool for the msm. I'm surprised Musharraf didn't kick her out because he had more important things to attend to - reminds me of the katie couric interview of valerie plame... "you seem bitter..."
Musharaf is sounding worse than Saddam ever was
I'm willing to bet he didn't literally order a hit, but, say, allowed it to happen after Bhutto wouldn't listen to his cautions *nudge nudge wink wink* about her activities.
dadams @ 6:
this is not bushes style!he has his shit retrieved by the cia lackys ,boxed and shipped back to dc!!!!!!!!!!
Lara Logan rocks, as usual.
It's alternately amusing and infuriating the way politicians, such as Musharraf here, thinks because he claims something, anyone actually believes him. Since we're talking about the death of a human being here, it's pretty infuriating.
Lara states that Bhutto was going to help America look for Osama bin laden. Bhutto stated in an interview with David Frost that Osama bin Laden is dead. She stated it as a matter of fact.
How can there be such a disconnect between our leadership and potential and current leaders of nations we deem problematic?
How could we hold such radically disparate viewpoints about who the enemy is and where they are?
Are our leaders making something up about the bin Laden thing? It seems like the whole world knows except the American public.
Don't you hate being the last one to find out?
It was her head's fault for being so soft and squooshy!
The sunroof was bulletproof. Who else should be at fault if she stands up through it in a crowd? She knew her security situation, but still did it anyway.
That not withstanding, why are people here so against Musharraf and believe that Bhutto would've been any bette?. Does everyone forget she and her husband stole $1.5B dollars? That she had promised not to run for office before being allowed back into Pakistan and having the charges against her cleared? She had aligned herself with Musharraf and saw later it would be better to not be aligned with him? She was no different than him. Saying what we want to hear (I'll go after the terrorists) and then doing/saying whatever she needed to do/say to get in power. Pakistan is a mess and no leader is going to be able to clean it up. He or she will be killed from the inside. The best the U.S. can hope for is that they can keep nuclear weapons secured.
ummm.... yeah....
mushy is guilty
JG @ 17:
John F Kennedy was 100% responsible for his own assassination. So was MLK, etc, etc.
Where are the links? None of the "files exist"
Why the fuck is Bill Orielly allowed to advertise on this site!!!!??????
JG @ 17:
Because despite taking billions of US dollars he has not caught Bin Laden?
Because he has nukes?
Because he imprisoned the Pakistani Supreme Court?
Because he possibly had Bhutto murdered?
Because whatever his actual responsibility, he used her murder as an excuse to postpone democratic elections?
False choice: one can be appalled and disgusted by our taxpayer dollars being wasted on Musharrif without therefore being a Bhutto supporter. And one can oppose Benazir Bhutto and still wish that she had not been killed and had been allowed to participate in a democratic election.
California Dave @ 21:
Damn straight !!! WHY???
Everyone's pointing the finger at Musharraf, but don't leave out Nawaz Sharif as another beneficiary of the assassination. Or these guys:
www.asecondlookatthesaudis.com
Advertise Liberally? Why is that hate monger Orielly allowed to pedal his tripe on this Liberal Website? You have a thread bashing him but then take his money so he can further is hateful agenda?? Who the fuck is in charge!!!! This is exactly the shit John Edwards is talking about!!!!!!!!!!! Who are the Crooks and Liars again???????
Nicole Belle: I mentioned this yesterday. It's a Google Ad, and we have no control over what is rotated in. We've put filters on the ad to avoid this, but that's all we can do save take the ad down and lose an important revenue stream. Google ads rotates ads based on keywords, so that's why Bill is up now. If we used the word conservative, it would do it too. If the Conservative Book Club wants to waste their money on such a scattershot approach that will result in no sales, that's their prerogative. I think it's hilariously ironic myself.
OT, but anyone following this story?
WASHINGTON (AP) -- In what U.S. officials called a serious provocation, Iranian boats harassed and provoked three U.S. Navy ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, threatening to explode the American vessels.
Musharraf's unitary executive theorism knows no bounds. He even makes Pinochet's ghost blush
I wonder who he'll blame for HIS death? I mean, he's a dictator sitting on top of a powder keg...
Musharaf would've been very much at home in this administration...
WASHINGTON (AP) — In what U.S. officials called a serious provocation, Iranian boats harassed and provoked three U.S. Navy ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, threatening to explode the American vessels.
I know the White House press secretary has never heard of it, but can you say "Gulf of Tonkin"?
Sure. I knew you could.
curtilingus @ 19:
Infinite security can not be provided. In my view, common sense says you should not stand up from a sun roof of a slow moving car in an area that was not secured. It is fair to ask if adequate security was provided, but at the same time, it's fair to point out that Bhutto took on a much higher risk in a situation she believed was not secure in the first place. If Musharraf was behind it, she could've made it more difficult to succeed. Also, what world leader would be asked if they had a part in an assassination and what response would you expect from them?
Musharraf has a point why would you stand up and expose yourself.
Real Eyes
Realize
Real Lies
The establishment is in trouble in every land.
Bullets (and bombs) don't kill people. People that stand in front of them are merely killing themselves.
Bhutton committed atmahatya and should have been denied proper burial.
Even if Musharraf's hands are clean, the way the story changed from Thursday to Friday to Saturday undermined any credibility the government might have had.
I'm waiting for the Scotland Yard team to discover that critical evidence has been destroyed or lost, or key suspects turning up dead.
As for Lara asking weak questions, I'll cut her more slack than I would Katie Couric. Lara's been tromping around Iraq and Afghanistan for years. Katie was hosting the Today show.
I have no idea what a Bhutton is; I was trying to type her name.
Pervez has a unique perspective, that Bhutto's death was 'Suicide by Assassin'.
Perhaps he'll 'Commit Suicide' similarly.
First paragraph from the linked Times story:
What country was that? We need to get used to seeing the words corrupt government and America in print so let me help out"
This story deserves it's own post, not buried in among 10 other links in a post about Mushy. Why didn't you put 11 links and include the YouTube interview where Bhutto states that Osama has already been murdered./snark
Thankfully, Bradblog is covering the Sibel story in detail, even keeping it at the top of the page, like C&L did recently for Dodd's Fililubuster. There is some lively discussion and interesting analysis going on over there and over at Dkos.
Now must of you might not remember but when JFK was killed it was said he should not have gone in the open car as in the case of Mrs. Bhutto. I recall as the US assassination of JFK. Friends often tell others what works when lying. It worked for the US as the magic bullet was the only one and the American people moved on. Now Musharraf has shown the world he lied and had backing. She killed herself for standing up and JFK killed himself for riding in an open car. Funny if you live long enough you hear the same thing twice. At lease the Pakistan people wont buy the bean story as Americans did. JFK wasn't killed by a foreign enemy but his own country. Bhutto wasn't killed by a foreign enemy but the President of Pakistan with the help and guidance of the White House. Hell is going to get crowed with this group.
Oh please people:
Benazir was no saint. Her husband was a corrupt politician who stole over $1 billion dollars and for that past 3 years, had been living in a million dollar apartment on the upper east side, thanks to those stolen funds.
Benazir herself was accused of killing her own brother who died in a police shoot-out while she was prime minister.
Her other brother was mysteriosly poisoned in his apartment in the French Riviera.
The first assasination attempt against her, in which 100 innocent people died, should have been warning enough.
But she foolishy ignored musharraff's advice to remain within the confines of her compound. The car was bomb proof and all who remained in it survived. She was well protected inside the stadium where she gave her speech and it was her decision to stick her head out of the sunroof that ultimately cost her, her life.
Pakistan is a complex and difficult country to govern and benazir did not do any better job of it than musharraff is presently.
He's learned well from the master, who blames Iraq for our occupation.
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curtilingus @ 15:
Yeah, it would be like if one of our alies in the Pacific during Vietnam stated plainly in an interview that "the Americans faked the Gulf of Tonkin incident," and nobody bothered to follow up, but prefered to sweep it under the rug by claiming the interviewee "mis-spoke".
Damn Lara Logan is HOT !
Forgive me for kinda going ot but I just listened to bush speak and now I'm trying to recover. He was to speak about the economy but said nothing and I do mean nothing new. Tax cuts must not be allowed to expire ...yada yada yada.
I don't know who killed Bhutto or why but I look to see who benefited by her death. Only one person comes to mind and he says she killed herself by standing up. I swear, that's the most bizarre suicide I have heard of yet.
The abusive spouse blames the dead abused spouse for his/her own murder.
Political corruption needs to be acknowledged and investigated in any working democracy. Too often we've ignored it and taken the official account of events to be "good enough". Our country is falling apart because of that. The blogs have a unique opportunity to discuss and share findings regarding some of the bigger crimes against the state like Bhutto's Death, Election Fraud, Terrorism, and the like. Here's a start...
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_mike_mej_080107_times_of_london_...
Today's sock puppet technology is amazing. I don't see cheney's or bush's hand up mush's ass at all.
wow!
mmm, lara....nilfish
CBS really pumped this story. All weekend you heard about the big, exclusive interview they had on this week's 60 Minutes.
Wait. That was Roger Clemens. Oh well...
B-B-But Barack can do no wrong!
remember, according to romney her death had nothing to do with the US.
To completely change the topic, Lara Logan is a fine reporter, and a peach.
nm @ 40:
Not to mention she recognized the Taliban government and gave them money and arms when she was prime minister.
this is some seriously scary Old World thinking... come to think of it, we do have a lot of blaming the victim going on in the US right now...
I haven't been watching 60 minutes because it seems to be all puff pieces of late (as opposed to one real piece and two puff pieces) so, like, um, when did they hire Lara Logan? Was that part of a package deal that got Bill Krystal on the NYT editorial page?
You write "... On all counts, Musharraf’s answers were lacking."
I agree. Part of the problem is Lara Logan's "interviewing." I would advise people to go check out her interview with the mercenary Erik Prince from Blackwater..
Leo
Perverz Musharraf doesn't strike me as a very intelligent guy. I thought Lara did a good job interviewing him.
Lara Logan is a terrible interviewer and I wouldn't be surprised if the ratings for 60 minutes are heading downwards. It's just no the same show anymore.
Musharraf is a very smart guy, but his accent makes it difficult for Americans to understand him (read his biography).
Musharaf, back off - you are just a lying piece of work.
Her death might finally bring some good in you.
also, my favorite part was, "we're not falling for it anymore!"
I found the update interesting.
I know for a fact that 5 years ago, the U.S. had spooks operating covertly in Pakistan along the disputed Pakistan/India border.
There have been ten or so committed albeit unsuccessful attacks on Mushys lying ass too. I came across a good article that further explains Pakistans role in certain events and ties to BushCo.
Dave Lindorff: 9-11 Cover-Up, Treason, and The Bomb
http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/lindorff/051
Lara Logan is a tough interviewer. Her questions were forceful and pointed.
Plus I'd walk through a field of broken glass on my knees to tell her so in person. What a beauty.
leave it to CBS to give that piece of shit a forum.
CoIntelPro @ 63:
What was he expected to say?
"I didn't do anything to protect her, which was my responsibility."
Give me a break.
I agree with you, CIP.
This man is scum.
With enough "inside job" pressure on Musharraf, maybe he will reveal Pakistan's knowledge of 9/11.
A Harkness @ 64:
Sentence #1: "forceful and pointed"
Sentence #2: "what a beauty"
Dude, you seriously need to read some Freud and then get your inner monologue under control.
ps. At least, read some better literature. "Walk" ... "on my knees"? Yag!
musharraf can barely protect himself, and if i was a politician in pakistan, i would not
drive a suv into a crowd with my head sticking out the sunroof. was jonathan bush laundering the money bhutto made off with?
Keep it on people, let's overthrow Musharaf. He is as guiltily as Sadam. He is a dictator and US is invested with powers directed from God to bring this planet to order - US order. It was and still is always easy to call others as dictators and not bother with your own. For the people waiting for Scotland Yard to “help” in Bhutto murder, I say bring them in US, may be they can give you Kennedy’s murderers.
Hey, don't misquote him! He can fail on his own, thankyouverymuch. He said:
"For standing up outside the car, I think it was she to blame alone."
That meaning is different than C&L saying:
callously blaming Bhutto for her own death by saying that “it was she to blame alone. Nobody else. Responsibility is hers.”
You should at least put ellipsis or it looks like you are TRYING to be extra slimy. "... it was she to blame alone." Instead of accidental. Which it was, right? Because even Lara didn't go there. Enquirer stuff, really.
How is Musharaf to blame for Bhutto ignoring the security and procedures he gave her then? Are you suggesting he put her in cuffs and MAKE her get her ass in the car and down the road without delay? So if he doesn't then he's her killer? Hrmmm. Sounds cheap to me, and there's already plenty of political exploitation out of this tragedy.
Publicus @ 28:
Well if he strips naked and wonders around very large angry crowds in Pakistan screaming, "HEY LOOK AT ME! I AIN'T GOT NO PROTECTION, AND I'M JUST STANDING HERE!"... I'm guessing he'd blame himself too.
I like how Americans have just decided to throw the idea of proof out the window and say Musharif killed her, not extremist assholes. Um, which side are we on again? Truth or that other one? I keep forgetting these days...
To think of all those hours of shitty cop-dramas that we watch you'd think we'd get that answer right on the test.
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.
.
Is there proof of this? Did they do an autopsy on her? No.
Does there need to be an independent investigation (which there already is, with Scotland Yard) -- Yes. But there is no proof that she died of a gunshot wound, yet.
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I have to agree with others and say she wasnt very smart to stand up in the sunroof and let all kinds of people approach so close to her. She was a huge target and it was damn obvious to everyone. CNN has reported 11 attempts on the life of Musharaff. Musharaff would never drive into a crowd and stand up outside a sunroof. I guess from his prospective as a "fellow target", it was her fault.
Kennedy was murdered by at least 3 gunman, can we all agree on that? Oswald was only a marksman in the Marine corp even though the history channel has lied, and said he was a sharpshooter. Well folks this is nothing new, trying to explain the biggest crime in the country 44 years latter. 5 years from now the story on history will be telling us, it was the Russian muffia that had Butto killed.
STOP George @ 73:
There is proof that the front of her face was missing. And there is that still shot from the video that shows a man pointing something at her head and her scarf and hair shooting up. Unless he was pointing a battery-powered fan at her, I think it is safe to assume she was shot int he back of the head. Why do you have another theory? Plus, the investigation will undoubtedly turn up nothing seeing as how the whole area was sprayed down with hoses and cleaned up (or covered up) before any authorities could perform any type of investigation.
nm @ 58:
Your crazy, watch some of her other interviews, she is a incredible journalist, she bailed when CBS told her not to go film in Fallujah, taking her camera man and going it alone. She follows up, asks real questions, and does real reporting. So many journalists just reprint what the friggin AP prints it's a wonder they can even call themselves journalists.
She rocks the shizzie and ur just jealous.
A very good take on Bhutto's murder (and check out the John F Kennedy link):
http://www.chapatimystery.com/archives/homistan/the_benazir_they_knew.html
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