Posted on 08/22/2005 11:27:24 AM PDT by churchillbuff
What does "stay the course" mean? At one time it meant "regime change." Then it came to mean "weapons of mass destruction," then it meant "war on terror." Now apparently it means an Iraq that is "democratic and free." ...that is nonsense. How many Arab countries are currently both free and democratic -- from Mauritania to Saudi Arabia? Not a one. Does that not suggest that it would be impossible for the United States to impose on Arab culture what we mean by freedom and democracy? In fact, how many Muslim countries can boast of Western-style civil society and democracy? Turkey, maybe, at least up to a point. Iran? Pakistan? Bangladesh? Indonesia? Does that suggest that in its present form Islamic culture is not conducive to what we mean by democracy? ...[snip]
In Iraq ...the Shiite majority is struggling to create an Islamic republic on the Iranian model, more moderate, perhaps, but still a theocratic state in which the mullahs have supreme power -- and women have almost no rights at all. Indeed "staying the course" seems to mean fighting Iran's war against Iraq with Chinese money (which pays for the part of the national debt the war is piling up through the purchase of American treasury notes).
I do not deny that there are elements in the Islamic heritage that are compatible with a civil and democratic society. I insist, however, that these elements do not dominate today in any Islamic country, again with the partial exception of Turkey. But President Bush is nonetheless going to create by sheer willpower and the blood of American troops such a society in Iraq?
....Most Americans believe that real democracy is something like our own. They believe that the president is promising that in Iraq. It is a foolish, ignorant, stupid promise.
Democracy does not mean merely that the majority of voters elect their rulers. It also means the rights of the minority are protected. It means freedom of the press, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, the right to seek redress of grievance, an impartial and independent judiciary, it means no street violence after an election, the right to presumed innocence and to appeal court decisions, respect for those who are different from you, protection of property and contracts, a stable and generally accepted civic culture, civilian control of the military and the police -- all the precious and priceless freedoms and rights which we Americans take for granted -- however imperfectly they may be protected or honored.
Majority rule, without these kinds of safeguards, turns into tyranny, total power invested in the monarch or the general or the cleric or the caudillo or maximum leader or whoever else claims at gunpoint to embody the will of the people. No matter how long Bush "stays the course" in Iraq, the history of that part of the world suggests that the end result of our "regime change" will be something like that. For this, American blood is being spilled?
Western democracy, far from perfect, is still the best there is. One may call what goes on in Cuba or Russia or China or Egypt or Algeria or Pakistan or Indonesia democracy not in the Western style, if one wishes. But the president should not deceive the American people. What will happen in Iraq will be very much like what existed before Saddam came to power and eventually lead, in the name of the will of the people, to another tyrant who will rule with an automatic weapon in his hand.
Not this sh*t again...
Sounds allot like the circulation numbers of the windy city blow and blather.
I took out Greeley's gratuitous insults against Bush, so the main points of his argument could be read without that distraction. He's arguing that democracy with Western-style bill of rights can't be grafted onto the cultural stock of the Arab Muslim middle east. Instead, Iraq will end up, again, with strong-man, one-party or one-religion rule.
How could "Stay the course" mean "regime change." As if this makes any sense at all...
BUSH 2002: "I'm staying the course with regime change in Iraq..."
What silliness these so-called pundits spew via their cake holes...
That's what I say when I see reports of how the Iraq constitution is going to enshrine Islam as the source of law. Our soldiers died for that?
Greely's an idiot.
That's the only response this drivel deserves.
let's see what happens. the main problem is that Bush does not have the political backing here at home to tell this interim government "take a hike, we are going to start over". If support for the war were 60-65%, we could do that. since its not, we have to take what we can get, because starting over is not politically sustainable.
If I said more I get banned from FR...
When they make Islam their source of laws, all will have been lost. It will be very, very soon.
Clueless Andy, and a racist to boot.
Kind of ignoring the entire cold war experience - not to mention post WWII experience - don't ya think?
Don't buy into that MSM meme, nor any other for that matter.
The fact that Islam is being enshrined in the new Iraq constitution isn't "drivel." It's the truth -- the sickening truth. Unless you think that Shi'ite Islam (as practiced and written into civil law, in Iran) is a wonderful religion.
As long as Iraq will be under the law of Islam (as denoted by a recent Drudge headline, "Iraq draft says laws must conform to Islam"), Iraq will never be a true democracy.
Did anyone really expect a different outcome?
I don't get your point. When did we invade a country and impose "regime change" during the Cold War? Our successful doctrine was "containment".
It's ending pretty good if you are a Shia Sharia advocate.
"""the president should not deceive the American people. What will happen in Iraq will be very much like what existed before Saddam came to power and eventually lead, in the name of the will of the people, to another tyrant who will rule with an automatic weapon in his hand."""
Sources? I read that Islam will be "a main source" for the constitution. Why is this a shock?
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