Swamp Gas, December 28, 2007

by Frank James

A quick guided tour of some of the morning's most important, most interesting, or both, Washington-related stories.

Violent protests spread throughout Pakistan as the body of Benazir Bhutto, the slain popular opposition leader and former prime minister was laid to rest after her assassination Thursday and the government maintained that elections would still be held Jan. 8.

Bhutto's death leaves the Bush Administration with very limited policy options on how to move forward with a nation that has become its key ally in the fight against terrorism, leaving President Pervez Musharraf as perhaps the only hope to maintain any remaining stability.

Bhutto was a Western-schooled leader who carried herself like royalty but was extremely accessible, pressing the flesh with her supporters and making herself readily available to the media because she recognized its importance in getting out her message.

The presidential campaigns were forced to shift their focus to foreign affairs on Thursday as Bhutto's assassination reasserted how large the problem of terrorism remains after it had slipped in prominence due to growing troubles with the domestic economy and declining violence in Iraq.

Bhutto's death raised concerns for Afghanistan, as it increased fears that Pakistani President Musharraf will be so focused on his own internal problems that he won't be able to deal with militants crossing back and forth between his country and neighboring Afghanistan.

With the Iowa caucuses a week away, the presidential candidates are spending three times as much money on TV ads and on the Internet as was spent in 2004 as candidates try to attract enough undecided voters to give them an edge.

Missouri is the site of an abortion contest over legislation that, if passed, would give that state perhaps the nation's most restrictive abortion laws, a battle that some fear may polarize the state for next year's general election.

Missouri is one of five states where a campaign against affirmative action could be reflected through ballot measures in 2008 that would ban state colleges and universities from using the practice in admissions. The states, including Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma and Arizona, are also places where illegal immigration has become a major issue.

Another senior Smithsonian Institution official is once again under scrutiny for his spending, as the director of the National Museum of the American Indian faced questions about $250,000 in first-class travel and stays in luxury hotels, including a dozen trips to Paris over a four-year period. This follows a spending scandal which resulted in the departure of the Smithsonian's previous leader.