…this guy would be dead by now. Of course, if Bush were Saddam, he’d never have tried his luck. But he knew his action would be interpreted as an act of political dissent — in a country where dissent is now allowed. He may serve a jail term, but it seems far more likely that this will be brushed under the carpet. Personally, I suspect the arrogance of a nation’s journalists is a good barometer for its human rights health. The great thing about democracy is that we are free to express our utter contempt for our leaders, whenever we feel like it.

I suppose it’s too early to consider a reappraisal of Bush. But if his madcap $2.4 trillion scheme to democratize two of the world’s most troubled countries actually produces lasting results, the wider world (if not the US taxpayer) may owe him an apology. The arguments of Bush’s harshest critics often implicitly pend on the total failure of America’s efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. What if their efforts don’t fail? What if, in the end, it actually works?

Filed under: afghanistan, al qaeda, clarepoliticsnews, democracy, humanrights, ideas, iraq, jonathanbirch, society, uspolitics on December 15th, 2008