— is not necessarily a strategic one in the Middle Eastern political arena.

To play assassin is to challenge history outright. Some hit jobs proved effective in changing reality, but not all changed it in the manner the perpetrators had hoped for. Take the 1992 assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Abbas al-Musawi. Retaliation attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets after his death cost dozens of lives, and the more radical and more effective Hassan Nasrallah took over as the organization’s leader.

For these reasons, assassinations should be considered a last resort. The Radical Front is undergoing changes. Iran had to come to a difficult compromise with the West after many years of sanctions brought its economy to its knees. Hezbollah has taken both tactical and political blows since it openly sidedThousands Rally for Suspended Chief Justice in Pakistan

Thousands of lawyers and opposition activists rallied Thursday in support of Pakistan's suspended chief justice, keeping up the political pressure on President Pervez Musharraf.

Protesters in the eastern city of Lahore called on the president to resign for pulling Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry from the bench in March on charges of misconduct. A U.S. flag was burned to protest American support for Mr. Musharraf.

Critics accuse the president of meddling with the independence of Pakistan's judiciary to smooth his bid to retain the dual posts of president and army chief of staff.

Protests have been held in Pakistan's biggest cities since the suspension, growing into the strongest public challenge to the presidency since Mr. Musharraf took power in a bloodless coup eight years ago.

Pakistan's Supreme