“I thought it would take 10 years for the American Public to reevaluate GWB and his contribution to the establishment of democracy and freedom in the Middle East and elsewhere.”
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Indeed.
Though, you can read, even here on FR what a “waste” and misadventure the WOT was (is).
Bluntly stated, the American military, at the direction of President Bush, ran al Qaeda’s murderous asses into the ground.
Islam is a virulent pathology however, and the pressure needs to be unrelenting.
The revolutions in France and Russia led to Bonapartism and Bolshevism, respectively. In times of unrest, those who are better armed, more organized and more ruthless tend to prevail. In Egypt the Islamists are organized and the comparatively secular democrats are not. It may well come down to a struggle between the army and the Brotherhood. Although the army would probably win such a showdown, democracy would not be a winner in either case. In Jordan, those calling for a constitutional monarchy are Islamists, not secular democrats. In Bahrain the fight is between Shiites and Sunnis, not Jeffersonians and monarchists, with significant meddling by Iran.
Let's wait for the results before we start praising W's nation building and advocacy for democracy in the Middle East.