Reply #1: Regime Change in Haiti: The Bush Dominoes Keep Falling

[Say_What]

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...The Bush Administration's response to the rebellion in Haiti is the most explicit example of contempt for democracy we've seen yet. The United States has had 2000 Marines ready for immediate deployment to the beleaguered island, but has held back until Haiti's "first democratically elected President" was spirited out of the country by force of arms. It is currently being reported by the BBC that Mr. Aristide was escorted to the plane in which he made his dawn escape by US Marines already in the country. This only adds to the suspicion of US complicity in the President's ouster.

Aristide pleaded for help from the international community, and particularly the United States, saying that perhaps only a few dozen marines could salvage his presidency. The US flatly refused, condemning the Aristide government to certain collapse. The culpability for that collapse resides entirely with the Bush Administration.

We cannot imagine what conclusions are being drawn by the various leaders in the Middle East who are now being presented with Mr. Bush's Greater Middle East Initiative (GME). They are being asked to launch democratic reforms in their own countries while at the same time, witnessing the flagrant duplicity of the Administration's actions in Haiti. Are we to believe that Bush and co. have a genuine interest in democracy when then they refuse to even lift a finger to help a struggling neighbor in their own back yard? Instead, they issue a steady stream of criticism at the elected government (via the media) which further emboldens the rebel leaders to continue their onslaught.

Things really started going downhill for the Aristide Government when the Bush Administration began their well-calculated attack on its legitimacy. As Scott McClellan said, "Aristide's actions have called into question his fitness to continue to govern."

http://www.counterpunch.org/whitney03022004.html