American politicians and pundits spent yesterday making asses of themselves. Who will ever forget John McCain strutting around like a little popping jay announcing that he alone was ready to handle the kind of crisis resulting from the Bhutto assassination. Roger Simon of the Politico bought the McCain line hook, line and sinker. In fact he bought it so completely somebody needs to check Simon's sources of income.
Personally I was shocked at how quickly Joe Scarborough and Chris Matthews shamefully turned the assassination into some sort of media event favoring Hillary Clinton. Clinton and Obama engaged in a day of childish pronouncements that amounted to "vote for me, unlike my opponent I know how to handle an assassination."
But then there was John Edwards, who with a single dignified comment showed us how a President of the United States should act in the face of tragedy.
Decorah, Iowa – Today in Decorah, Iowa, Senator John Edwards made the following statement:That is the kind of thing a President says.
"I want to say a word about the terrible tragedy that occurred in Pakistan earlier today. It's a terrible thing for the process of democratization in Pakistan, it's a terrible thing for the stability of Pakistan, and it's very important that we, America, and those of us who are running for president of the United States, be a strengthening and calming influence in these kinds of times.
"I met the former Prime Minister a few years ago. We spoke together at a conference. And she spoke then about the importance of the democratization process, her personal commitment and risk of her own life, which she recognized, and how the democratization process in Pakistan was, I think her words were, 'baptized in blood.'
"I spoke to President Musharraf a few minutes ago and I urged him to continue the democratization process because of how important it is to the Pakistani people and how important it is to his country. I also urged him to allow international investigators into Pakistan so that, for the rest of the world, there can be credibility in determining what the facts were and what actually occurred.
"It's very important for the Pakistani people, for the stability of the world and for America's interests, that the democratization process continue, and I believe this is the time for America to be a strong and calming influence in a difficult and unstable environment."
