NYT: A Little Democracy Or A Genie Unbottled

[Mark E. Smith]

1/29/06

The overwhelming sense among politicians and intellectuals in the Middle East last week was that America's little chemistry experiment had blown up in its face. President Bush promoted democracy and free elections as his primary solution to the region's ills - and when Hamas won in a landslide in the Palestinian elections, the president got results that could not have been more inimical to the interests of the United States and its ally Israel.

Like a powerful catalyst best handled with an eyedropper rather than a ladle, free and fair elections have recently unleashed political forces elsewhere in the region that can hardly be seen as friendly to the United States. The radical Muslim Brotherhood made major gains in Egypt's parliamentary elections, a Shiite cleric list allied with Iran won a plurality in Iraq and Hezbollah - considered, like Hamas, a terrorist organization by the West - surged in last year's elections in Lebanon.

From one point of view, one that produces more than a few chortles in the Middle East, the United States has fallen victim to some grand law of unintended consequences. "You might remember the saying, "Beware of what you wish - you might get what you want," said Abdel Monem Said Aly, director of the Al Ahrem Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo, well aware that he was tossing a Western saying back in the direction it came. "It's very much applicable," he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/29/weekinreview/29glanz.html

Another colossal Bush disaster has become obvious for all the world to see. Only this one cost us hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of military casualties.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

1. You have to give Bush credit

He fucks up absolutly EVERYTHING he touches. Wrong way Corrigan looks like a genius compared to the stupid assfuck in the white house.

[StClone]

2. We knew it would and in the face of the obvious now

Freeptards still deny the Iraq invasion as a failure and its prospect of increasing terror and anti-U.S. feelings in the world. Since it appears we are moving from a reality based society to one of projection, deception and appearances, we are left to rely our sense of humor and sarcasm to sustain us until we find remediation.

[Kahuna]

3. What a grand chuckle Sadam and Osama must be having

at our expense. Bush's reputation as a (pardon my french), fuck up artist was well known before the media hopped on his bandwagon in 2000. They are guilty for selling America a false bill of goods. I saw Jack Welsh on with Maria Bartaroma (sp?) a couple of weeks ago still pushing the neo con agenda of greed and destruction. He's just giddy over how much money he's making. He still adores W.

[Olney Blue]

4. I'm not a scholar of the Middle East, but my own common sense

told me that invading Iraq was wrong.