John Bolton: Democracy is ‘not always the answer’ (US should have kept Pakistan's dictator in power)

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Former Bush UN ambassador: Democracy is ‘not always the answer’

By John Byrne
Monday, October 11th, 2010 -- 8:39 am

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/10/bush-ambassador-democracy-not-answer/



In a little noticed remark on Fox News last week, President George W. Bush's former ambassador to the UN remarked that the US should have kept Pakistan's dictator in power and derided those who "think democracy is always the answer."

John Bolton, whose nomination was so controversial Bush tapped him during a Senate recess and then declined to resubmit him after his recess appointment expired, made the comments on Fox News Thursday. The discussion was highlighted Saturday by ThinkProgress, a liberal blog.

"emocracy and civilian governments in Pakistan have been so discredited because of incompetence and corruption," Bolton said. "I thought the Musharraf government, military, authoritarian rule that it was, was the most likely kind of government to be able to make the changes we made. <...> I would have kept Musharraf in power. I think the Bush administration made a mistake in pushing him out. In Pakistan they call the military the “steel skeleton” because it really is the only thing that holds the country together. That offends some people who think democracy is always the answer. Personally, I would put American interests above that. I wouldn’t have gotten rid of Musharraf."

Noted ThinkProgress' Ben Armbuster: "So it seems that Bolton has officially taken himself out of the democracy promotion crowd. But his prescription for stability in Pakistan appears to be at odds with what he himself said in 2007, that the military regime that governed the country at the time was untrustworthy and “filled with fundamentalists.'"

[spanone]

1. "Former bu$h* UN ambassador"....say no more

[stopbush]

2. And John Bolton is NEVER the answer.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Iraq would probably agree with the musings of Bolton. They had it better under Saddam.

[SpiralHawk]

4. Why do republicons embrace fascism, reject democracy?

It's because they are all about FEAR & Control.

They just can't stand the "land of the free and the home of the brave"

[wtmusic]

5. JB, there's a reason you've been sidelined.

Now STFU.

[opihimoimoi]

6. He is a PNACer and a NeoCon.....never ever trust that dude..What the hell is HIS TRACK RECORD? FAIL

He is part of Bushies Failure to govern with wisdon and common sense...

Both are Failures

[DJ13]

7. Too bad they didnt think of this before destabilizing Iraq

[qazplm]

8. here's a guy

who worships at the altar of asshole.

[foxfeet]

9. Mustache rides - 5 cents.

That's not a chin; it's a saddle horn.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

10. I wish somebody would punch that crazy motherfucker right in the 'stache. nt