"Her skin glows and her hair shines; not bad for a 46-year-old woman on the verge of losing everything."
Observing her physical appearance - could be looking for signs of upset over the situation.
Sarcastic understatement, showing the writer's suspicious attitude to the audience.
"...in a society like Pakistan where corruption is endemic..."
Endemic: related to disease (negative connotations)
Widespread -> common
Comparison to "that well-known kleptocracy, Nigeria" - even worse shows how bad it is in Pakistan.
Benazir Bhutto
"This spiel is vintage Bhutto."
- The first democratically elected female leader of a Muslim country
- After two stints as prime minister in the 90s ended early amid charges of corruption, Bhutto spent several years in exile in London.
- She returned to Pakistan with plans to participate in the 2008 general election, but was killed during an attack at a PPP rally in late 2007.
DID YOU KNOW???!?!?!
- Benazir Bhutto was known to her friends as 'Pinkie' because she was an unusually pink baby.
Short, blunt sentence shows how she has no doubt that Bhutto is lying.
Spiel: informal, no longer polite or sugar coating
Bhutto's behaviour.
Similar to a salesman's speech: Bhutto is selling her image.
Vintage: Classic behaviour, how she always acts.
- In 1986, when Bhutto returned to Pakistan from exile in Britain, she was greeted by such large crowds that it took her motorcade 9 ½ hours to travel the 8 miles from the airport to a rally site in Lahore.
- Her marriage was arranged by her mother; Bhutto did not meet her future husband until five days before their engagement.
- She opted to keep her name, saying, "Benazir Bhutto doesn't cease to exist the moment she gets married. I am not giving myself away. I belong to myself and I always shall."
"what interesting affairs Thatcher's tea parties are becoming."
"...the 'I am a woman of the people' line just a bit rich coming from such a privileged mouth."
Sarcasm - patronising.
tea parties - unimportant, childish
boring before now interesting.
"I am a woman of the people" cliche, politics speak.
Line like in a fictional play - rehearsed, fake.
"bit rich" unfair, hypocritical. very critical of Bhutto.
putting her best face on a murky business by eleanor mills