Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Griff
This is the flaw in W's whole strategy. He doesn't get that for the Islamist on the street Americans in America are not relevant. Americans in the mid-east imposing non-model governments and proping up dictators are relevant to them. We gave up all moral authority in that part of the world by keeping the Shah in power, an interventionist policy not in keeping with the American model. It is simply unrealistic that an American oil man backed by the greatest army the world has ever known will be considered worthy of trust, no matter what his intentions.
|
We did not give up any moral authority whatsoever. We are offering, for the first time, an opportunity for a truly populist government (one not run by a minority religious sect through fear and intimidation) to run the country of Iraq. The man in the street in Iraq does not care one whit for Bush's oil background -- that's totally a domestic partisan weapon. Try finding a leader in that part of the world who's not connected with oil. Or religion, for that matter. Any Arab hatred of Bush is due to his American-ness, which convicts him as a Zionist.
Domestic political hatred of Bush doesn't apply on the ground in the middle east, and no matter how much you try to bring it into play, it never will.