The assassination of Benazir Bhutto is a very, very bad thing for the Middle East and the fight on terror. And, yes, we're still fighting that war. Pakistan, who we need as an ally to contain Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden, is likely now on the verge of civil war. With elections coming up within two weeks, it's possible Bhutto's party may fall apart, or rally around her death and become stronger, but without a leader to carry the torch. And there's no guarantee Musharraf is going to go quietly if his party is voted out.

Iraq is already, in effect, in a civil war. (Yes, we're definitely winning, but are we going there for the next 10 or 20 years?) Iran is touch-and-go. Israel and Palestine are no closer to a working peace agreement than they were seven years ago. Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt have regimes that are susceptible to takeovers by religious zealots.

Peace, as always, needs to be a major goal for everyone. But it's hard to achieve when there are people who would rather die and kill for what they believe than compromise. And I'm not sure how that part of the equation is going to change.