Misc. Ramblings

Mr. Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds, is saying that President Bush is a champion of democracy in the Middle East, and has been for years.

Before I go any farther, I want to state that I have no ill will against Mr. Reynolds. He has the right to his opinions and nothing I say here should be construed to mean I don't have anything but respect for what he says.

That said, I wonder how it is a GoodThing to champion democracy now, but when former President Jimmy Carter talked about it, neocon Jeane Kirkpatrick, writing in the neocon magazine Commentary, and as quoted in a Washington Post column by Michael Kinsley, mocked:

"the belief that it is possible to democratize governments anytime, anywhere, under any circumstances." Democracy, she said, depends "on complex social, cultural, and economic conditions." It takes "decades, if not centuries."

Kirkpatrick attacked President Carter for trying to "impose liberalization and democratization" on other countries. Hmmm, talk about historical revisionism!

I'll let you decide who is revising what.

Aloha!