Bhutto assassinated 12 days before elections. Was "shot at close range"

Details continue to emerge from the Bhutto assassination. From the Washington Post:

Bhutto, 54, was shot at close range as she was leaving the rally in this garrison city south of Islamabad, aides said. Immediately after the shooting, a suicide bomber detonated explosives near Bhutto's car, killing at least 15 other people.

Bhutto was rushed to a hospital with extensive wounds to her torso, her supporters said. Shortly after she arrived at the hospital, an official came out of the building and told a crowd of supporters Bhutto was dead.

Analysis of the impact of the assassination is also starting. I'm no foreign policy expert, but let's just say, it's pretty clear this isn't good for Pakistan's future:

Bhutto's death is a devastating development, coming 12 days before Pakistanis are set to vote in national parliamentary elections already marked by enormous political turmoil. President Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency in November -- a move which he said was to combat terrorism, but which was widely perceived as an effort to stave off legal challenges to his authority. U.S. military officials said last week that the terrorist group al-Qaeda increasingly is focusing its efforts in Pakistan.

Keep in mind, Pakistan is allegedly our stalwart ally in the war against terror and the fight for democracy.