Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The aftermath of the assassination: “While much debate and speculation swirls around the circumstances of Benazir Bhutto’s death last week, the consequences are clear. It has upended a fragile political process in a nation already coping with increasing instability and a rising terrorist threat. Pakistan and the US have blamed Al Qaeda or its affiliates in Pakistan for the murder, while some say that President Pervez Musharraf himself is to blame. But regardless, say many analysts, Ms. Bhutto’s death is a victory for Osama bin Laden’s network, which called the opposition figure a tool of US influence. And, they say, Al Qaeda stands to gain most from the spreading unrest in Pakistan.”
* In related news: “Aides to Benazir Bhutto charge that lax security allowed an assassin to approach within a few yards of her. But authorities insist it was her decision to open a hatch in her bombproof vehicle and chat with supporters that left her vulnerable. The dispute intensified as a video of the attack and an inconclusive medical report raised new doubts about the official explanation of her death and bolstered calls for an independent, international investigation. The new video footage, obtained by Britain’s Channel 4 television, shows a man firing a pistol at Bhutto from just feet away as she poked her head out of the sunroof to greet a swarm of supporters. Her hair and shawl then jerked upward and she fell into the vehicle just before an explosion — apparently detonated by a second man — rocked the car. No police were seen trying to push the crowd away.”
* Hmm: “North Korea failed to meet a year-end deadline to declare all its nuclear programs under an aid-for-disarmament deal, prompting disappointed reactions Monday from South Korea, the United States and Japan. The three countries, along with China and Russia, have been pushing North Korea to abandon its nuclear programs in a series of negotiations that began in 2003 and finally gained momentum in 2007. Washington and Seoul have said they believe that the overall disarmament process, though falling behind schedule, is still on track.”
* AP: President Bush yesterday signed legislation that extends a popular children’s health insurance program after twice beating back attempts to expand it. The extension of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program is expected to provide states with enough money to cover those enrolled through March 2009.
* AP: “The second half of 2007 saw violence drop dramatically in Iraq, but the progress came at a high price: The year was the deadliest for the U.S. military since the 2003 invasion, with 899 troops killed. American commanders and diplomats, however, say the battlefield gains against insurgents such as al-Qaida in Iraq offer only a partial picture of where the country stands as the war moves toward its five-year mark in March. Two critical shifts that boosted U.S.-led forces in 2007 — a self-imposed cease-fire by a main Shiite militia and a grassroots Sunni revolt against extremists — could still unravel unless serious unity efforts are made by the Iraqi government.”
* TP: “Gil Jamieson, who for the past two years has overseen the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts, announced recently in an internal agency memo that he will retire on Thursday. Recovery efforts under Jamieson have been ‘widely criticized by local residents and officials who complain that FEMA has created a maze of red tape with its interpretation of laws governing disaster aid.’ Soon after Katrina, Jamieson and other top FEMA officials countermanded ‘a directive’ by the FEMA official then-in charge of streamlining the flow of disaster aid ‘that would have cut through the red tape and expedited a staggering 1,029 rebuilding projects and $5.3 billion.'”
* As expected, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour named Rep. Roger Wicker (R) as Trent Lott’s successor, though the news is not without controversy. For one thing, Wicker has some lingering ethics questions surrounding him. For another, Barbour, to help ensure a GOP victory, intends to hold the special election in November, apparently in violation of state election law.
* WaPo: “The Opinions section of washingtonpost.com is not immune to that affliction so common in journalism this time of year: toptenitis. What follows is a list of the 10 most popular stories of the year, ranked by number of page views.” Congrats to Dan Froomkin, who had three of the top 10. David Broder had zero.
* And finally, I hate to have the last word of 2007 be a somber one, but I could really relate to this NYT editorial: “There are too many moments these days when we cannot recognize our country. Sunday was one of them, as we read the account in The Times of how men in some of the most trusted posts in the nation plotted to cover up the torture of prisoners by Central Intelligence Agency interrogators by destroying videotapes of their sickening behavior. It was impossible to see the founding principles of the greatest democracy in the contempt these men and their bosses showed for the Constitution, the rule of law and human decency.”
Anything to add? Consider this an end-of-the-day open thread.