How Iraq won its 'freedom'

[bemildred]

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Faced with such a world, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recently gave a speech at the College of William and Mary in which, for the first time in memory, a top administration official didn't wholeheartedly plug the spreading of freedom and democracy abroad in typical Bush fashion.

In fact, at the World Forum on the Future of Democracy, he gave a talk titled "A Realist's View of Promoting Democracy Abroad" in which he reminded his audience of the value of allying with despots to advance US interests:

Over the last century, we have allied with tyrants to defeat other tyrants. We have sustained diplomatic relations with governments even as we supported those attempting their overthrow. We have at times made human rights the centerpiece of our national strategy even as we did business with some of the worst violators of human rights.

This talk was greeted enthusiastically by the nation's pundits. Finally, a realist! Given the realities of our world, it's not hard to understand why. Perhaps the rest of us can now breathe a small sigh of relief. Whereas, in the previous six-plus years, freedom was theft, now, perhaps, clarity has entered the picture and theft is simply theft itself.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/II25Ak04.html

[Solly Mack]

1. K/R

[Demeter]

2. How Long Before Some Flunkie Offers a "Correction"?

24 hours, or less??