Deep Thoughts From George W. Bush
"There's a lot of suffering in the Palestinian Territory because militant Hamas is trying to stop the advance of democracy."
There are many things you can say about Hamas ("trying to destroy Israel," perhaps), but trying to stop the advance of democracy? Recall there was a time when Fatah was in charge of the Palestinian Authority. At that time, the Bush administration said there was no need for Israel to negotiate with the PA until it agreed to hold free and fair elections. Eventually, the Fatah-led PA agreed to do this. At which point . . . Hamas won the election. How afraid of the Bush democracy initiative are they supposed to be? Does Bush even remember this sequence of events?
Advertisement
Comments (15)
Word redefinition alert:
"Democracy" is now shorthand for "moderate democracy".
The requirement for moderate "democracy" is support for Israel, given that, any government is a moderate democracy if its officials are willing to periodically say positive things about democracy in theory.
Hamas is trying to stop the advance of this new form a democracy.
July 28, 2006 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Who's the deep thinker here? Note Bush's qualifier *militant* Hamas. It has been well reported that there are large divisions between the factions in Hamas, between armed groups in Palestine and between the Palestinian leaders and the Syrian leadership. The Syrian contingent and its supporters in Palestine are skeptical of trying to make the elected government work as anything but a platform for continuing armed action against Israel. This followed long oppostion to any electoral participation at all. So Bush is quite right when he says militant Hamas is opposed to the ordinary democratic self-government in the territories when it threatens to interfere with action against Israel.
July 28, 2006 2:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not even. Its shorthand for voting for people who will acquiese to our grand geo-political strategies.
July 28, 2006 2:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I suppose in a narrow sense this is true. If you squint hard enough, as Matt said a couple days ago.
But the broader thrust of Bush's remarks are absurd. Islamists LOVE the end of the status quo. its the Saudia royal family, Egypt, and Jordan's kind (and also, it should be said, Bashaar in Syria - although he isn't an Islamist) who fear a "new Middle East" the most. Islamism is a mainstream popular phenomenon. And even beyond democracy, non-state militias, organizations (many of which are Islamist) simply thrive off "creative chaos" and state collapse like in Iraq.
In this vein, 87% of the Lebanese population back Hezballah in its current conflict with Israel. 8% currently view the US as an ally (down from 38% in the same organizations poll from February).
July 28, 2006 2:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not even. It's shorthand for there were WMD,no ties to terror, we need a reason we're in Iraq. Remember, Bush was elected (?) on the platform of not supporting nation building. 9/11 changed everything, less democracy here, more lip service there.
July 28, 2006 6:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Matt's right: Hamas is an elected political party, so Bush is just being stupid when he says Hamas is anti-democracy.
Matt's wrong: Hamas desires nothing less than the destruction of Israel. This is not something Hamas "perhaps" wants; it is their raison d'etre. Ditto Hezbollah.
July 28, 2006 6:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hamas desires nothing less than the destruction of Israel. This is not something Hamas "perhaps" wants; it is their raison d'etre. Ditto Hezbollah.
I don't think Hamas wants Israel gone because of a dislike of democracy, though.
July 28, 2006 7:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
does bush remember this sequence? hell, he still claims that saddam wouldn't let the UN inspectors in.
his grasp on reality is mighty tenuous, but his grasp on what his gut tells him? superb.
July 28, 2006 8:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bush is all for spreading democracy if the democracy is based on tradtional western/American values. And if they're not based on those values then it isn't a democracy in his mind. It can't enhance his ME regional credibility...but then again I don't think that having credibility in the ME is of the highest importance to him.
July 29, 2006 5:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
Bush is all for spreading democracy if the democracy is based on tradtional western/American values.
Bush doesn't give a rat's ass about democracy, traditional-Western or not. He thinks "democracy" means "doin' what I tells ya, and shuttin' the f*** up." And cutting taxes.
July 29, 2006 8:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
LOL...that just might be all too true dj moonbat. The only quibble I would have with it is that I think western values are important because the concept of "free trade" is embedded in those values...
July 29, 2006 8:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
God put two 'C's in democracy to stand for Christianity. You all can't have one without the other.
July 29, 2006 12:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
No one traded with or within the ottoman empire?
July 29, 2006 5:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Ottoman Empire was a mix of Eastern and Western cultures. I guess that is part of the reason why Turkey wants to join the EU...
July 29, 2006 10:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
are you being serious? In this analysis would the USA be a mix of Eastern and Western Cultures? France? Germany? China?
If it were me, I would want to join the EU because it was good for my country.
August 2, 2006 1:23 PM | Reply | Permalink