Bush Was Right

President George W. Bush on February 26, 2003 in a speech to the American Enterprise Institute

There was a time when many said that the cultures of Japan and Germany were incapable of sustaining democratic values. Well, they were wrong. Some say the same of Iraq today. They are mistaken. The nation of Iraq -- with its proud heritage, abundant resources and skilled and educated people -- is fully capable of moving toward democracy and living in freedom.

The world has a clear interest in the spread of democratic values, because stable and free nations do not breed the ideologies of murder. They encourage the peaceful pursuit of a better life. And there are hopeful signs of a desire for freedom in the Middle East. [snip] A new regime in Iraq would serve as a dramatic and inspiring example of freedom for other nations in the region.

It is presumptuous and insulting to suggest that a whole region of the world -- or the one-fifth of humanity that is Muslim -- is somehow untouched by the most basic aspirations of life. Human cultures can be vastly different. Yet the human heart desires the same good things, everywhere on Earth. In our desire to be safe from brutal and bullying oppression, human beings are the same. In our desire to care for our children and give them a better life, we are the same. For these fundamental reasons, freedom and democracy will always and everywhere have greater appeal than the slogans of hatred and the tactics of terror.

Success in Iraq could also begin a new stage for Middle Eastern peace, and set in motion progress towards a truly democratic Palestinian state. The passing of Saddam Hussein's regime will deprive terrorist networks of a wealthy patron that pays for terrorist training, and offers rewards to families of suicide bombers. And other regimes will be given a clear warning that support for terror will not be tolerated.

The Domino Theory, set into motion by the Iraqi elections of January 2005:

Syria Heralds Reforms, But Many Have Doubts; Party Weighs Gradual Moves Toward Democracy (Washington Post)

Kuwait Approves Women's Political Rights (USA Today)

New Lebanese Government Schedules Elections (Reuters)

Note these are headlines from just the past month!

It's becoming clearer that President Bush's vision of a free and democratic Middle East--dismissed by the liberal elite as pie-in-the-sky myopia--is in the process of becoming reality. Like Reagan, Bush doesn't care about getting credit for these transformative events, but wishes only that Americans are safer than they once were. Look for the liberal revisionists to first deny this is all happening, and then (once it becomes obvious), state that they were for it all along, and that it would have happened anyway without Bush. Yeah, right.