Lebanon: Bush administration claimed democracy is spreading just last year

[Czolgosz]

Elizabeth L. Cheney, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
Remarks to Foreign Policy Association Annual Dinner
New York, NY
June 14, 2005

...We are living through historic times – for the world and for US foreign policy. From Ukraine to Afghanistan to Iraq to Georgia to Lebanon, we are seeing the expansion of freedom.... In February ... the Lebanese people rose up – one million of them marched in Beirut.... They are now in the midst of their first truly free elections in decades.... We’ve been inspired by images beamed out of Afghanistan and Iraq and Lebanon.... The Lebanese want their liberty, and they have a memory of a rich parliamentary life, of a decent balance of power that gave all the communities of this small but creative land a stake in their country.... a valiant Lebanese population braved police rule to secure liberty....








These same valiant, inspiring Lebanese are now the bad guys, right? Must be, or we'd advocate against bombing them if they were still valiant.

[thereismore]

1. spreading like wildfire from a burning fuel depot. nt

[BOSSHOG]

2. Those wacky bush claims

- like the existence of wmd
- and he served honorably in the military

But he knows his audience.

[Czolgosz]

10. Who is Bush's audience when he says he won't encourage peace in Israel?

[LittleClarkie]

3. Unrelated, but I hate the phrase "Democracy is on the march"

it's just so meaningless somehow. I don't know why it gets under my skin but it does. Even Big Eddie uses it.

He usually is decent to listen to, but he definitely seemed to be on Israel's side in this, and when someone called him arguing for the Palestinians, he asked them if they supported Hezbollah. It was too binary and Republican for me. Then he talked about how democracy was on the march amongst the Palestinians, but then they elected Hamas. I guess the point was that the Palestinians want militancy. But still, it was a reminder of Eddie's Republican roots.

But anyway... I hate that phrase. I mean, when you're talking about democracy, you shouldn't be picturing it in jack boots goosestepping down the street.

[Czolgosz]

11. I feel the same way about "freedom on the march"; I can't envision freedom

goosestepping.

[Jack Rabbit]

4. Ms. Cheney should be well versed in the art of lying

Look at her parents.

[Jim__]

5. They also claimed that democracies don't go to war against one

another. Gee, another bromide shot down by reality.

[HereSince1628]

6. Yeah, what gives with _that_ Gorge-issimo?

Another NeoCon theory bites the dust.

[HawkerHurricane]

8. That is one of the most nonsensical statements...

In 1812, the ONLY two countries in the world that could be called 'democracies' (by the loose standards of the day) went to war with each other... an aggressive war of conquest, no less, with both sides intending to seize territory from the other.

And remember:
Mussolini and Hitler were elected.

[ButterflyBlood]

12. Mostly innacurrate

Even though the US and Britain were far more democratic in 1812 than most countries, neither one was hardly democratic by modern day standards. Besides the lack of women's suffrage, slavery and racial restrictions, etc. in the US, Britain had all sorts of restrictions preventing the poor and religious minorities from voting, plus the King and aristocrats had much disproportionate power.

Hitler wasn't really elected. The most the Nazis ever got in an election was 36%. He was appointed Chancellor out of a lot of backroom deals and then used the opportunity to seize power.

Mussolini was not elected at all. He organized paramilitary forces terrorizing the country to show the government was powerless about it and tried to seize Rome as a show of force. The government resigned, and the King was forced to appoint him as PM out of fear in an effort to keep "stability"

[Czolgosz]

9. Lebanon is a great democratic triumph ...uh, I mean... terrorist state

Democracies don't go to war against one another, it's the people elected by the democracies who declare war against one another and the young relatively poor people who live in those countries who go to war.

[AndyA]

7. Isn't what's going on Democracy in George Bush's mind? Sure seems to be.

Look at Iraq. Things are going really well over there, too. :eyes: