Al-Qaeda responsible for Bhutto

This is a story that is not yet getting much press here in the States and in fact this is the first I've heard of it. Perhaps BBC or some one else is covering it, but I haven't seen it yet. Asia Times Online is reporting that an Al-Qaeda spokesman has made statements claiming responsibility.

From the Times--
“This is our first major victory against those [eg, Bhutto and President Pervez Musharraf] who have been siding with infidels [the West] in a fight against al-Qaeda and declared a war against mujahideen,” Mustafa told Asia Times Online by telephone.

If this is indeed the case our efforts in that region may have just taken a major blow. Pakistan was already on the edge of spinning out of control with Musharraf, but without a viable successor Pakistan is even closer to tipping over the precipice. No one is happy with Musharraf it seems, and what may have been a popular alternative has now vanished. The only real hope is that some one from her political party can gather enough support to become a viable alternative, otherwise the Pakistani people will move closer and closer to a revolution that may very turn out to become the next Islamist Sharia theocracy. Islamists with nukes is not a good proposition, so lets all hope they can turn this thing around.