rest in peace, indeed

It was with sadness in my heart that I learned this morning that Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. I've been loosely following her story since she returned to Pakistan after a recent exile, and I was really hoping she'd get elected. She was a brave, visionary woman. I was coming home from work two weeks ago and heard an interview on NPR in which she addressed the almost certainty that another attempt on her life would take place. When Terri Gross asked her how she felt about it, her response struck me as beautiful: "There is always the possibility that someone will try to silence me, but what I stand for cannot be silenced." She stood for a new Pakistan, without sectarian violence or religious strife, and her attempts to counteract Musharraf brought a much-needed democratic voice to the table. Her death will undoubtedly complicate the already tragic political situation the country faces.

A bright candle has been snuffed out.