US [Bush] dials back the volume on 'democracy' [in MidEast]

[rodeodance]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20060308/ts_csm/arethink;_ylt=AghlKknnvKiy6Ltep9m0l.qNe8UF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

> March 08, 2006 edition
>
> US dials back the volume on 'democracy'
> Bush's public pronouncements on Islamic democratization take on a softer tone, as his recent trip to Pakistan showed.
> By Howard LaFranchi | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor


> WASHINGTON – President Bush has begun to soften his tone on the urgency of democratizing Muslim countries, lately choosing more cautious words that some experts say are a better match with his administration's modest political goals for countries ranging from Morocco to Pakistan.
>
> The change so far is subtle. But the rise to power of Hamas, the radical Islamist group, through US-backed elections in the Palestinian territories and the difficulty of implanting democratic governance in Iraq are prompting Mr. Bush to soft-pedal his pronouncements.
>
> The cautious approach is likely to continue at least until the administration sorts out how to respond to the new realities, experts say - leaving the Middle East peace process and other pressing regional matters hanging in the balance.
>
> "A debate is raging within the administration. They are taking a second look at the entire process of exerting pressure on authoritarian rulers in the Middle East," says Fawaz Gerges, a foreign policy expert at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y. "There is no certainty over what to do, but we are hearing a rhetoric that is less intensive and more nuanced than just a few weeks ago."......

[yurbud]

1. discussing democracy in a dictatorship like Pakistan would be awkward

wouldn't it?

We can't actually expect our ALLIES to become democracies--let's start with our enemies.

[central scrutinizer]

15. or in hereditary monarchies

like Saudi Arabia

[yurbud]

16. it sure as hell would be cheaper in lives and money to start

democracy drive there.

[Amonester]

2. Gee... Could it be that 'someone' (or 'a few' have-mores...)

told the Liar($)-in-chief (that include$ GoCheneyur$-elf) are not 'working' anymore, and that their Ma$ter$ are beginning to 'worry' about their $inkin' Titanic?

Maybe it's harder than they thought to machine-cheat elections when exit polls show some 14 points 'gap' in favor of the Democratic candidates...

Maybe...

[rodeodance]

7. well, have to say--Cheney did not tone down yesterday in his speech to

the Israli group.

[sui generis]

3. yup, they always get it right the second time

isn't that great leadership? That's what I want in a leader - somebody who doesn't know what the hell they're doing and does it anyway.

[rodeodance]

9. and while they sort things out-our troops continue to die

[sui generis]

4. "nobody could have foreseen"

that fiefdoms and kingdoms and dictatorships find democracy a quaint, but dangerous idea.

[rodeodance]

6. no imaginations!

[rodeodance]

5. WH trying to "sorts out how to respond to the new realities"

......The cautious approach is likely to continue at least until the administration sorts out how to respond to the new realities, experts say - leaving the Middle East peace process and other pressing regional matters hanging in the balance.

[krkaufman]

12. Don't forget... they'll just create their own reality...

... rather than solving the problems of the current reality.

[Lexingtonian]

8. *snigger*

Yet another magical salvation doctrine fails, and social/political evolutionary change wins out again.

In other news, they bought a big disk and are trying to figure this "wheel" thing they've heard about from Democrats.

[Solly Mack]

10. translation: we failed - so now we rewriting our goals to match

our failures. That way we can claim we didn't fail since our goals were met. (course this requires people forgetting the original stated goals - and sadly, some will)

Not reaching recruitment goals? Getting bad press because of it? Well, reduce your goal! That way you can claim victory even if your recruitment numbers are far below what's needed to maintain a constant state of war. If people don't look too closely, they'll just hear "recruitment goal met" - and not see the small print.

Same thing with this


typical of the Bush regime - make a bold claim, fall flat on your face, and then rewrite what your original claim was...

President break a law? Change the law!
President lie about reasons for war? Change the reasons for war!(and keep changing them and keep changing them)

President tortures? Redefine torture!

[NYC]

11. That sums it up.

Without a complicit press, he couldn't get away with it. Remember our original objective? WMD.

[krkaufman]

13. "exerting pressure on authoritarian rulers"

Anybody else bust a gut when they read that bit on authoritarian rulers? And the media will fail to highlight the irony.

[RedEarth]

14. Shrub.......you are a Freedom-Hater .....