In talking war and being feted by autocrats in the Gulf, the US president just drummed up more support for Ahmadinejad
Simon Jenkins
Wednesday January 16, 2008
The Guardian
".....Yet Bush and Tony Blair were unaware of how their inevitably "neo-imperial" wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, coupled with American support for Israel's expansionism, would render their crusade hopelessly hypocritical. Muslim democracy is a moot concept, but it has made a sort of imprint on Iran, Palestine, Lebanon and even Iraq and Pakistan. Yet it was not these leaders that Bush graced with a visit this past week. He went to Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain, where he was feted with gifts of gold, rubies, emeralds and diamonds. It sure beat a walkabout in downtown Baghdad.
In Pakistan, Bush continues to back dictatorship and must suffer the resulting Taliban "blowback" in Afghanistan. In Palestine he ignores the winner of an election, Hamas. He appeases Hosni Mubarak's dictatorship in Egypt and is craven to the autocrats of Saudi Arabia. His spokesman, Steve Hadley, challenged on what such rulers contribute to democracy, could only bumble that "these folks are on board with the freedom agenda, and are pursuing it in their own fashion". Stability trumped democracy after all......."
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