Bhutto and the US Race for the Presidency

The terrible murder of Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan is having a ripple effect felt right here in the US. Besides a wildly volatile stock market that is concerned how the actions on the other side of the earth might affect us right here, there is also discussions on how the terrorism will shake up the US race for the presidency.

The winners appear to be the candidates who have taken the strongest positions on the war on terror. With over 45 percent of Pakistanis supporting Al Qaeda (according to CNN) and the possibility that they were behind this act (though no one has claimed it at the time of this writing), US candidates who have had the strongest positions on the war on terror are the biggest "beneficiaries" of what has happened in Pakistan. I know, it sounds tasteless, but I'm not sure how to describe it any more clearly.

Generally speaking, the political prognosticators are arguing that the biggest winners will be Sen. Hillary Clinton among Democrats (because of her long term relationship with Bhutto and the fact she is probably the most Conservative among that liberal group) and Sen. John McCain, who has had the strongest and most consistent views on the war on terror. I have a slightly different spin. I think the biggest winners are any Republican contender and the losers are any Democrat, because all of the former have had stronger positions on terrorism than any of the latter. Whether or not there will be any lasting impression will take weeks, if not months, to see.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and is Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Get a free subscription to that newsletter by clicking here.