One of the key events in the War On Terror was the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. She was beginning to turn the country from the fight with Islamists to some other future and therefore represented a huge risk to al-Qaeda and Bin Laden. If you think Americans are fatigued by 7 years of the war think about the losing side! We at least see steady (if not maddeningly slow) progress.

I am not sure if it was planned or not, but the Bhutto killing was immediately blamed on the government of President Musharraf. Her assassination was an opportunity to bring the people in line with the Islamicists so they could avoid their political oblivion. That blame game failed and is starting to create a backlash in the opposite direction – towards the Islamicists. And that backlash began when wild claims about Bhutto’s death began to be knocked down, and it became clear through intelligence that it was al-Qaeda operating through the organization of Baitullah Meshud.

The evidence keeps mounting that the government was correct in their review of Bhutto’s death. For example, it is now fairly conclusive she was not killed by a bullet but by a blow from the bomb blast:

Benazir Bhutto died as a result of a head injury caused by the impact of a suicide bomb blast — not from a gunshot wound — Scotland Yard investigators have concluded.

The findings support the version of events given by the Pakistani government of how Bhutto died.

…

The report acknowledges that there was no detailed search of the crime scene or autopsy of Bhutto’s body. However, it concludes that “the evidence that is available is sufficient for reliable conclusions to be drawn.”

Investigators used X-rays and video footage of the attack, said the report. It also concludes that only one attacker was involved.

The X-rays are going to be damn conclusive. This last bit of information should seal the backlash against the Islamists.