I disagree. Mubarak was a convenient thug. We need to stop propping up people like Mubarak. It is a fruitless endeavor and it keeps the Middle East from going through the change that is needed to eventually bring it into the modern age. I used to believe in the idea that we have to maintain stability in the Middle East to protect our interests in resources and Israel but eventually you have to tally what it has gotten you. We are paying out billions in Aid to regimes that are filthy rich in Oil money. Israel is no closer to resolving its conflict with the constantly antagonistic and chronic victims the Palestinians who receive billions from the world and still manage to live like rats. We have our military building domestic infrastructure in a country with oil reserves that rival Saudi Arabia and not a mention of ever recovering costs.
The America tax payer is being duped by these internationalists like Cheney. I respect him more than Obama but I’m not going to go on with the facade that has just cost us blood and treasure and tied us up in knots in the MiddleEast while crippling domestic energy development.
Let us consider what will happen if the Middle East is allowed to go through its natural path. The old arab aristocracies fall and the old dictators are purged. The people finally have a say in these countries that are majority Muslims. Is the daily life in these countries going to change? Not really but a crucial step will have been taken. Iran is gloating now but the religious theocracy will not hold forever. These Islamist countries will never approach the America flavor of Democracy but they will reflect the will of their people and that is a place to start from. If we accept the horrid notion that some people are too horrid to govern themselves then it gives strength to the liberal/socialist cause that people need centralized management of their lives.
Will the flow of Oil be interrupted? I’m sure it will but let us think about the opportunity that will offer us. It will totally decimate the leftist opposition to domestic energy development. Rolling blackouts, energy rationing will kill socialists leftist dreams and finally open up the political path to a Domestic Energy Renaissance in the US.
The other positive is that the wall that we are approaching with entitlements, debt, and the deficit will be hit. The impact to the economy will be significant and suddenly we will be faced with the dire reality of having to cut govt to the core. I consider that a good thing.
We can deal with Islamists that hate us. Israel is strong and would be stronger if we didn’t muzzle them. The one thing we can’t do is pretend that we can hold humpty dumpty together indefinitely. We are deluding ourselves. What we can do is stop pretending we can control things we can’t, take the pain, and end up with a stronger country for it.
The left will be decimated if oil hits $200 a barrel for any significant amount of time. It is time to embrace history and stop hugging tyrants. The dominoes are in place for great change here as well as the Middle East. It is time to let them fall.
Well said.