It was an opportunity to look "presidential" and score points with the voters. The death of Benazir Bhutto which plunged nuclear power Pakistan into crisis and chaos was one of those unscripted, unexpected events during a campaign that reveals something important about the candidates; their ability to think on their feet and project an aura of knowledge designed to reassure voters in a time of instability for a major ally:

Think of Mr. bin Laden’s videotape message late in the 2004 election — giving President Bush a chance to look more commanding than Senator John Kerry — or the twists of the Iranian hostage crisis in 1980, as Ronald Reagan made President Jimmy Carter look feckless.

And all of the contenders rushed to weigh in, determined and eager to use the moment to show command of issues both large (Pakistan’s relations with India and Afghanistan) and small (the proper pronunciation of Rawalpindi, the garrison city where Ms. Bhutto died). While there were some stabs at substance — Mrs. Clinton called for an independent investigation into Ms. Bhutto’s death, and Mr. Richardson called for cutting off all aid to Pakistan — most of the candidates concentrated on projecting the aura of a steady hand in a crisis.

“Pakistan is a foreign policy problem that requires nuance and finesse, so it’s a great test of presidential mettle,” said Xenia Dormandy, director of the Belfer Center’s Project on India and the Subcontinent at Harvard University. “There are so many priorities: building a democracy, the war on terror, nonproliferation. I do think we’re going to see a split between those candidates who have the experience to recognize the complexities, and those who are just determined to play the politics on this one.”