The pinnacle of failure
If ever there was an event that showcased the complete and utter failure of anything Bush touches, it is the pinnacle of failure represented by the coup in Gaza last week.
For those unaware, the radical Hamas Palestinian faction kicked out their more moderate Fatah governing brethren out of Gaza and essentially set themselves up as a rogue state and a haven for terrorism on the borders of Egypt and Israel. That’s the last thing that Israel needs, and essentially destroys any possibility of a peaceful resolution of the Palestinian statehood issue–since the Palestinians are now split between the radical Gaza and the moderate West Bank.
How did this come about? Because Bush, in his utter stupidity and hubris, felt it necessary to declare a new pax americana by insisting that the middle east had to become a “bastion of democracy.” We already know the disaster that awaited that policy in Iraq.
As far as the Palestinians are concerned, Bush insisted that the Palestinians hold free elections a couple of years ago, convinced in his delusions that they would elect a George Washington that would lead the Palestinians to a new land of the free. Imagine how they were shocked–shocked!–when the Palestinians instead elected Hamas to power in Parliament, putting them at odds with the rival Fatah ruling faction represented by Abbas. “Nobody saw it coming,” whined Condoleezza Rice.
They didn’t see it coming because they have ideological blinders on their eyes. When you attempt to impose democracy on a society that has not asked for it, on a culture that lacks a thriving middle class yearning for it, in an environment without consistent justice or enforcement of the peace, do not expect to get a George Washington. Expect instead to get a bunch of radicals that feed into people’s fears and play to their nationalistic heartstrings. We have seen the same thing happen in other places where Bush has pushed for elections, including Lebanon and Iraq.
Why should this matter to us? Apart from even greater threats to our oil supply arising from a Middle East in perpetual conflagration, people who voted for Bush’s re-election because they thought he would keep us safe really need to ponder the foolishness of their choice. Bush’s misguided crusades were crystal clear when we re-elected him, and yet a majority of the public chose to send him back. Instead of guaranteeing our greater security, he has guaranteed the creation of pockets of terrorism that will bedevil and attack America for decades to come. America is far less safe now than before his tenure, and not because of 9/11 but because of the awful policies enabled by his election.
Choose more wisely next time, please. It’s not as if we didn’t tell you so.
Sphere: Related Content