[TenthAmendmentChampion]

I hope the president or Sec. Rice (how great that sounds!) reads this. C-SPAN Iraq is a great idea.

[AlienCrossfirePlayer]

Ping for optimism.

[AHerald]

A very interesting and informative article. Directly and, to me at least, effectively challenges much of the current conventional wisdom about Iraq and the Middle East. Lots to digest. Worthy reading. Thanks for the post.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"There are vastly worse things in this world than seeing grown Iraqi men and women arguing about the propriety and place of Islamic family law and traditional female attire in Iraqi society. Understood correctly, it will be an ennobling sight--and a cornerstone of a more liberal Iraq and the Muslim world beyond."

HEAR, HEAR!!!

[mitchbert]

If the Bush White House were wise, it would ensure that all parliamentary debates are accessible free via satellite throughout the entire Middle East. Such Iraqi C-SPAN coverage could possibly have enormous repercussions. For just a bit of extra money, Washington should dub all of the proceedings into Persian, remembering that Baghdad's echo is easily as loud in Tehran as it is in Amman and Cairo. The president has stated that he wants to stand by those who want to stand by democratic values. This is easily the cheapest and one of the most effective ways of building pressure for democratic reform.

I really hope something like this is being planned. The effect could be monumental if done right.

[Tolik]

Very Interesting !

This ping list is not author-specific for articles I'd like to share. Some for perfect moral clarity, some for provocative thoughts; or simply interesting articles I'd hate to miss myself. (I don't have to agree with the author 100% to feel the need to share an article.) I will try not to abuse the ping list and not to annoy you too much, but on some days there is more of good stuff that is worthy attention. I keep separate PING lists for my favorite authors Victor Davis Hanson, Lee Harris, David Warren, Orson Scott Card. You are welcome in or out, just freepmail me (and note which PING list you are talking about).

[Yardstick]

"The Muslims of the Middle East have tried variations of every intoxicating bad Western idea that promised quick power to peoples..."

It's interesting to note that these bad Western ideas were European ideas: socialism in various forms that concentrated power in the hands of an elite few, with very bad results. What hasn't been tried is something along the lines of the classical Anglo-American liberal model, which places balancing power into the hands of the people. But now we'll get to see how this model, our model, will work.

I think a big part of why Europe hates our project in Iraq and wants to see it fail is that Europe knows that a success there will demonstrate the success of our ideas and the failure of theirs.