In "Pop-Tarts or Freedom?" in today's New York Times, Thomas L. Friedman argues a variant of the "yearning for democracy" rap which is getting increasingly tiresome as every shred of evidence continues to indicate that Iraqis are yearning for the power to control and subjugate each other.
Here's his vision:
I believe the tensions between us and the Muslim world stem primarily from the conditions under which many Muslims live, not what we do. I believe free people, living under freely elected governments, with a free press and with economies and education systems that enable their young people to achieve their full potential, don't spend a lot of time thinking about who to hate, who to blame, and who to lash out at. Free countries don't have leaders who use their media and state-owned "intellectuals" to deflect all of their people's anger away from them and onto America.
Let's try this again:
I believe free people, living under freely elected governments, with a free press and with economies and education systems that enable their young people to achieve their full potential, don't spend a lot of time thinking about who to hate, who to blame, and who to lash out at.
Gosh - where is that? I'd really like to go live there. No hate, no lashing out - must be nice!
Free countries don't have leaders who use their media and state-owned "intellectuals" to deflect all of their people's anger away from them and onto terrorists.
Ooops! Friedman said "America" the first time, not "terrorists." Silly me.