In rare cases, democracy and the rule of the majority must take a back seat to the safety and integrity of world affairs. When a country in possession of nuclear weapons teeters on the brink of political chaos, it become necessary for world survival for the rest of the world to take military action to prevent the possible nuclear-arming of terrorists or terrorist states. Unlike Iraq, there has been no question about Pakistan's nuclear capabilities. Thus, in this one instance, President U.S. Bush as a political and ethical obligation to take efforts to obtain international consensus to directly intervene in Pakistan to take over the government and to secure weapons of mass destruction under U.N. supervision and then to hold impartial and fair elections based on international standards.

Why does Bush think he has the authority to intervene and control these Islamic countries? Why does he think they want to give up their religion and beliefs for the western nations? Islam and democracy can not co-exist as one nation as thousands of years has proven. Crusaders tried to convert them and failed centuries ago and this conversion has failed at every attempt, including those of the United States in the last decade of fighting. The only country in the world forcing the issue of conversion is the US and the reasons are very apparent, to control and profiteering by the american oil industry. The US government is using the blanket of terrorism as the reason, but the truth is, these countries do not want the american government forcing our way of life and government on the Islamic countries. Islams are fighting a religious battle and american is fighting a financial battle over their oil, and america will never win over the Islams or control these countries by force. Their religion is their government and we can't destroy a national religion. We can destroy their weapons and arms but we can't destroy their way of life.

In respose to Tab L. Uno I ask why that President Bush should take the lead? China is the closest to Pakistan and their financial interest lies in the US.If the US goes down the tube the whole world will be in a financial crisis. In addition US should stop all foreign aid to those countries that will not step up to the plate to prevent a nuclear disaster.

Pakistan (Musharaf) is our ally ONLY because we send billions of dollars of aid a year to his country. Musharaf will not give us the authorization to use his country to go after OBL, and he refused to provide security for former PM Bhutto. He also refused to investigate prior assassination attempts on her life. I do not believe that Musharaf was invloved in Bhutto's assassination, but he was certainly negligent. Musharaf had already tranfered powers that normally the PM would have to his own position as President, so why assassinate Bhutto knowing full well the reaction and ramifications of such an act? I could be wrong.

Bush does not have authority to interfere with Islamic countries. Persuasion is as far as he should go in convincing Islam to modify or give up their religion for the western democracy.

The Bush administration was beyond foolish for putting any trust in Benezir Bhutto and place all their hopes in her becoming prime minister. In the first place she probably did not have that much real influence in the place. In the second place, she wound up dead. It was obvious that she was a marked woman in a place with lousy security.

We should learn three lessons from Benezir. 1) Do not go back to places where they want to kill you. Do not give them the satisfaction. 2) the definition of a patriot is someone who is willing to do for someone else's profit. What good did her returning to Pakistan do her? 3) The USA should have found some other promising young leader to encourage in Pakistan.

Chalk this tragedy up to President Bush's attempt to spread democracy throughout the world. When is he going to realize that democracy doesn't work in every society? Obviously he doesn't know his history. Every time the western world has tried to subjugate the Muslim world, they have been defeated after a long, drawn out struggle with a lot of casualties. Bush is just as bad as the popes during the Crusades. His dogmatic ways make him one of the worst (if not THE worst) President we've ever had.

The Pakistan situation is strangely reminiscent of the earlier Phillipine situation with the assination of Aquino.

The U.S. government has problems in Pakistan and elsewhere because of its failure to follow the advice of George Washington who said, "It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world . . . . . I hope the United States will be able to keep disengaged from the labyrinth of European politics and war."

Thomas Jefferson concurred in his first inaugural address, "Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations -- entangling alliances with none."

More recently, Henry Cabot Lodge stated that the ". . essence of American foreign policy should be to keep the country clear of foreign entanglements . . . stand aloof, and mind our own business."