We must brace ourselves for the media lovefest that will be occasioned by the return of the former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto.
These photos from the wire services are just the beginning:
 
Of course one may well ask what Ms. Bhutto has done to warrant such adulation. Especially since she was removed from her position twice for corruption.
Indeed, Wikipedia has a very extended description of Ms. Bhutto and her husband's extensive schemes throughout the world. (Her husband's nickname is "Mr. 10%.")
The Wikipedia entry begins thusly:
Charges of corruption
Bhutto was charged with corruption and faced a number of legal proceedings (the resolution of which seems to vary depending on opinion) in Pakistan. She has also been charged with laundering state-owned money through Swiss banks, in a case that remains before the Swiss courts. Her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, spent eight years in prison under similar charges of corruption…
Zardari was released from jail in 2004, but Bhutto and her husband continue to face allegations by (among others) the Pakistani government, of having stolen hundreds of millions of dollars by demanding "commissions" on government contracts and tenders. Over the past decade, the couple have faced an approximate combined total of 90 legal cases; while eight cases still remain…
A 1998 article in the New York Times indicates that Pakistani investigators have documents that uncover a network of bank accounts all linked to the family's lawyer in Switzerland with Asif Zardari as the principal shareholder in most of these corporations…
The paper also said that Zardari's parents, who had modest assets at the time of Bhutto's marriage, now own a 355-acre estate south of London. The estate has been auctioned through a court order.
Controversy still surrounds Bhutto - according to The Times a powersharing deal with Musharraf will allow her access to her Swiss bank accounts, containing £740 million ($1.5 Billion). Another one of her prime assets include her 10 bedroom mock tudor Surrey mansion…
Wikipedia then goes on to discuss the charges country by country.
As for our watchdog media's fawning, Wikipedia once again suggests an answer:
Policy on Taliban
It was during Bhutto's rule that the Taliban gained prominence in Afghanistan due to her support. Bhutto and the Taliban were openly opposed to each other when it came to social issues. According to Islamic law, which the Taliban follows, as a woman she had no right to be in power.
However, she saw the Taliban as a group that could stabilise Afghanistan and then allow economic access to trade with Central Asian republics.
Her government provided military and financial support for the Taliban, even as far as sending a very small number of the Pakistani army into Afghanistan. The Taliban took power in Kabul in September 1996.
Besides, she is still quite photogenic.
Oh, and she is a woman.
What more could you want?
 Update!
Unfortunately, as you have probably heard by now, a more typical Muslim welcome was in store for Ms. Bhutto.
Here is the latest from the Associated Press:
A scene of devastation after an explosion at a procession of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in Karachi, Pakistan on Thursday, Oct 18, 2007.
51 dead in blasts near Bhutto in Karachi
By PAISLEY DODDS and MAT PENNINGTON
KARACHI, Pakistan - Two bombs exploded Thursday night near a truck carrying former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on her triumphant return to Pakistan after eight years in exile, killing at least 51 people and wounding 150, an official said. Party workers and police said Bhutto was unhurt.
Associated Press photographer B.K. Bangash at the scene said he saw between 50 and 60 dead or badly injured people. He said some of the bodies were ripped apart.
An initial small explosion was followed by a huge blast just feet from the front of the truck carrying Bhutto during a procession through Karachi. The blast shattered windows in her vehicle and set a police escort vehicle on fire.
Those traveling atop the truck with Bhutto climbed down, with one man jumping off while others climbed down.
Bhutto, who is expected to seek the premiership for an unprecedented third time and partner in ruling Pakistan with U.S.-backed President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, was safe, said her lawyer, Sen. Babar Awan.
Police Chief Azhar Farooqi told Dawn News that Bhutto was rushed from the area under contingency plans.
"She was evacuated very safely and is now in Bilawal House," Farooqi said, referring to Bhutto's residence in Karachi.
Officials at four hospitals in Karachi reported a total of 51 dead and 150 wounded.
Dr. Seemi Jamali of Jinnah Hospital said it had 19 dead from the blast, and of the 70 wounded, between 20 and 25 were in critical condition.
A man who identified himself only as Dr. Faisal of Liaqat National Hospital, reported 30 killed and 80 wounded, many critically.
Provincial Home Secretary Ghulam Mohammed Mohtaram said the main force of the blast appeared to be taken by the police vehicle.
Footage from the scene of the blasts showed bodies on the ground, lying motionless, under a mural that read "Long Live Bhutto."
Pools of blood, broken glass, tires, motorcycles and bits of clothing littered the ground near where the bombs went off. Men moved the injured away from the fires near the blast site. One bystander came upon a body, checked for signs of life, and moved on, presumably to find more who could be saved.
The injured were carried in stretchers from ambulances and rushed them into a hospital emergency room, while others carried the wounded in their arms. Many of the wounded were covered in blood, and some had their clothes ripped off.
Medical personnel began to tend to the injured while dozens of people walked through in a daze.
After the blasts, pickup trucks filled with men rushed away from the scene and others began to run, but many more stayed and milled in between the police vehicle and those of the procession.
Bhutto had been traveling on a truck equipped with a bulletproof glass cubicle to the tomb of Pakistan's founding father, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, to give a speech. More than 150,000 jubilant supporters had surrounded the convoy carrying Bhutto through Karachi amid massive security.
Authorities had urged her to use a helicopter to reduce the risk of attack. But Bhutto, hated by radical Islamists because she supports the U.S.-led war on terrorism, brushed off the concerns.
"I am not scared. I am thinking of my mission," she had told reporters on the plane. "This is a movement for democracy because we are under threat from extremists and militants." …
Pakistan's former prime minister Benazir Bhutto is rescued from her truck after a bomb explosion in Karachi, Pakistan on Thursday, Oct 18, 2007. Two explosions went off near the vehicle carrying former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto, killing or wounding dozens of people. Party workers and police said Bhutto was unhurt.
Some reports are now saying there may be as many as 200 people dead.
Oh well, that's the thanks Ms. Bhutto gets for supporting the nascent Taliban.
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