Idealism in the Face Of a Troubled Reality (Bush speech)

[Paschall]

In a speech that redefined the U.S. agenda in the Middle East, President Bush waxed eloquent yesterday about his dream of democracy coexisting with Islam and transforming an important geostrategic region that has defiantly held out against the global tide of political change.

But Bush failed to acknowledge the tough realities that are likely to limit significant political progress in the near future: the United States' all-consuming commitment to fighting a global war on terrorism and confronting Islamic militancy. Washington still relies heavily on alliances with autocratic governments to achieve these top priorities.

The president's vision was an attempt to wrap together major U.S. goals in the Islamic world -- new governments in Iraq and Afghanistan, an Arab-Israeli peace, as well as political and economic openings in a wide swath of countries from North Africa to South Asia -- under the wider rubric of promoting democracy. Bush pledged new momentum to foster broad change comparable to the end of communism in Eastern Europe. ...

<the grist, of course, is buried at the end of the article>

In a broad assessment of the region, the president inflated the progress toward democracy made by allies such as Saudi Arabia that are harshly criticized for their abuses in the annual U.S. human rights report, while he criticized countries such as Iran that have made some inroads but do not have good relations with Washington.

"His portrayal of what's going on in Arab countries is totally unrealistic," said Marina Ottaway, co-director of the Democracy and Rule of Law Project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"The reality that he is overlooking is that in all these countries that are supposedly making progress, hostility to the United States is at an all-time high," she said. "So the idea that these are countries where progress on democracy is going to make them better allies is certainly not supported by what is going on."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A10064-2003Nov6?language=printer

[La_Serpiente]

1. He has

such a panglossian mentality.

[flpeach]

2. ???

panglossian???? Wow, I'll have to look that up! :o

[ClintonTyree]

3. Bush lives in a vacuum............

he only knows what his handlers tell him because he's so intellectually lazy and can't be bothered finding out the truth. That would take a little reading on his part, and any litterary work with more substance than, "The Cat in the Hat" is far beyond his ability. The boy king doesn't have a clue what's going on.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. What I want to know is who wrote the speech

Wolfowitz? Not his style

Perle, getting warm

Chenney? Not his style

Feigh, yep, his style

And after a close reading, John Bolton

But this was not Bush and this was oh such a classic reading that he
did not understand. I am sure Karl Rove stayed up late making
Caesar practice his diction too.

Here you go boy, have another cookie and stay off the sauce, you need
to pronounce this boy.

[RuB]

5. Bushie thinks he's driving the world towards the millennial era

and that the U.S. (New Jerusalem) will be the center of it all.

[Malva Zebrina]

6. hostility=hatred

Ottaway has said it--hostility toward the US is high not only in countries making progress but all over the world but all over the world. I don't think that Bush has the intelligence or the capacity to understand that. or perhaps he sees himself as hated and thinks that is evidence that he is winning. LOL He most likely thinks all he has to do is talk and walk like a tough Texas cowboy--that's it--that's his job as far as he is concerned. He read the script-speech- and has no idea what it means . I am certain he is not involved at all in any decisions -- he is really too dumb and pathetically uninformed. Who ever did write this speech,certainly cannot admit in any way shape or form that the US is hated by much of the rest of the world,either, after all. The speechwriter has to put a happy face on it that also is "let's pretend" or get fired-and this is why the Bush administration lies so much-no one dares admit the embarrassing reality,--for example, the obvious simmering hostility and hatred of the US is a weakness--they barge ahead as if nothing bad has happened under their watch--it is all upbeat spin and play acting-sadly, this leads to the perception that they are all liars (and they are) -and if it is not formally admitted by the government of a country, that they are hostile to the US, the voices of the people are poignant reminders of how much the US is hated--as in Britain -- they promise huge protests in the streets against George when he visits there soon.

Here is the photo that accompanied that article. Glassy, bloodshot eyes-trying assume a look of wisdom , intelligence and concern- Interesting that the headline accompanying the article says "Idealism in the face of a troubled reality" This face sure looks troubled to me.

http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/images/I10167-2003Nov06L