Little did I know that Bush was making a pre-emptive argument against John Shimkus. Since Shimkus is one of the more prominent people who doesn't believe Iraq is ready for democracy I thought it would be appropriate to quote Bush's words in 2003 condemning Shimkus' viewpoint.
Some skeptics of democracy assert that the traditions of Islam are inhospitable to the representative government. This "cultural condescension," as Ronald Reagan termed it, has a long history...
Time after time, observers have questioned whether this country, or that people, or this group, are "ready" for democracy -- as if freedom were a prize you win for meeting our own Western standards of progress. In fact, the daily work of democracy itself is the path of progress. It teaches cooperation, the free exchange of ideas, and the peaceful resolution of differences. As men and women are showing, from Bangladesh to Botswana, to Mongolia, it is the practice of democracy that makes a nation ready for democracy, and every nation can start on this path.
...As the colonial era passed away, the Middle East saw the establishment of many military dictatorships... Dictators in Iraq and Syria promised the restoration of national honor, a return to ancient glories. They've left instead a legacy of torture, oppression, misery, and ruin...
Many Middle Eastern governments now understand that military dictatorship and theocratic rule are a straight, smooth highway to nowhere. But some governments still cling to the old habits of central control. There are governments that still fear and repress independent thought and creativity, and private enterprise -- the human qualities that make for a -- strong and successful societies.
...Successful societies protect freedom with the consistent and impartial rule of law, instead of selecting applying -- selectively applying the law to punish political opponents.
I included that last quote in light of the news about Scooter Libby.
Bush made an excellent speech in defense of democracy. I wish I had confidence that he will hold closer to those principles than his last three discarded justifications for the war in Iraq.
Considering the fact that Bush just commuted the sentence of the person he promised to fire for leaking classified information, its impossible to take anything he says seriously. Bush could adopt the Shimkus position on democracy in Iraq any day now.