US Presidential candidates offer condolences to family of Benazir Bhutto

The United States Presidential candidates offered condolences to Benazir Bhutto's family and to the country of Pakistan today. Multiple candidates offered up messages about this former foreign leader.

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Bhutto was killed in a suicide attack as she was leaving a political rally in the city of Rawalpindi. At least 20 people died in the attack, local reports say. The attack has been condemned internationally.

Slate columnist John Dickerson commented that "Moments after former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's death was announced, I was getting e-mails from campaign aides, political obsessives, and the campaigns themselves. The candidates are quick to express their sadness, of course, but everyone is moving so fast because they're trying to muscle into the news cycle more than ever. There's only a week to go before the Iowa caucuses, and this murder lands right in the middle of a key issue in both parties. The ability to react to unpredictable news in a crazy world is at the heart of both primary debates."

Biden

Democratic Senator Joe Biden was first, holding a press conference at noon EST today, at the Des Moines Marriott hotel, solely to speak on the topic.

Brownback

U.S. Senator Sam Brownback, formerly the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee with responsibility for Southeast Asia, commented:

Clinton

Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton commented from western Iowa:

Dodd

26-year-member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Chris Dodd commented:

Huckabee

On his blog, former Arkansas Governor Republican Mike Huckabee commented:

Kucinich

Democrat Dennis Kucinich commented:

McCain

Republican John McCain commented:

Romney

Republican Mitt Romney commented moments after the attack: