What rise in freedom?

[illflem]

By Robert Kuttner | March 9, 2005

FREEDOM IS breaking out all over, so it seems. To hear supporters of George W. Bush, it's all due to the president's courageous decision to risk his presidency on the Iraq War.

Here's the storyline: Just as Bush's neoconservative advisers planned, ousting Saddam transformed not just Iraq but the balance of power in the Middle East. It gave ordinary Arabs and Muslims a sense of democratic possibility. Once Saddam went down, the other dominoes started falling.

Just read the headlines: Syria, respecting America's new muscle, is thrown off balance. Lebanon, long Syria's puppet, is demanding liberty. Egypt's despotic president (and US client) Hosni Mubarak is suddenly promising fair elections. Saudi Arabia's local elections are more authentic than usual. On the Palestine-Israel front, there's suddenly progress. Iran is negotiating about shutting down its nukes. And in Iraq itself, the process may be a mess but something real is happening.

Wow! If this picture is true, let's nominate George W. Bush for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The only trouble is, the picture isn't true.

Best part of the article is here http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/03/09/what_rise_in_freedom/

[BlueEyedSon]

1. Kick.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. My favorite paragraph is the last...

So, rather than rejecting his odd embrace of universal freedom, let's hold Bush to his words. Let's have no double standards for despotic allies of convenience. Let's not manipulate other people's democracies behind the scenes. And if democracy is good enough for Iraqis, let's defend what Bush has not yet wrecked of democracy at home

[liberal N proud]

3. If war = Freedom, the pic would be true, but it is not.

[ClintonTyree]

4. But you couldn't expect an American public...............

that thinks bush is doing a great job handling the American economy, to understand the "nuances" of what is happening in the mid-east.

No, no, the easiest answer(which is what Americans will go for 99 out of 100 times) is, "George Bush did it". See how easy? Not a bit of thought or research was expended. And that's how Americans LIKE it! Easy. So bush will get the credit (if indeed there is any credit to be given, that remains to be seen) because it's EASY to do it that way.

[Inland]

5. ''One can marvel at the power of the democratic idea....

Perhaps it can even survive the fervent embrace of George W. Bush." Hendrik Hertzberg