Bush And Democracy: Talk But Little Action

Weekly Standard: President's Words About Promoting Democracy Haven't Been Backed By Deeds

(Weekly Standard)  This column was written by Tod Lindberg.

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In January 2005, George W. Bush delivered what will surely go down as one of the most ambitious inaugural addresses in presidential history. He pledged the United States to "the ultimate goal of ending tyranny" in the world through the promotion of "democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture." In other words, he proposed the eradication of the most consistently recurring character in politics since its misty origins in prehistory, the dictator or ruler or strongman.

No small number of people thought this was perfectly crazy at the time. But what is perhaps more startling is how many people thought what Bush had to say was an aspiration worthy of a nation founded to vindicate the rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Moreover, some, including me, went farther, viewing Bush's project favorably not just as the latest articulation of the longstanding American declaratory obsession with saving the world by example and deed, but as a plausible one in terms of policy, especially given the less-remarked sentence two paragraphs later, in which Bush described the task he set out as "the concentrated work of generations."

But there are, of course, serious questions here: What is a policy dedicated to "ending tyranny" supposed to look like? For that matter, is the best way to end tyranny really to promote "democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture," and, if so, how and on what timetable? And what about those pesky tyrants who have something of use to the United States, such as oil or information, or something the United States might fear, such as nuclear weapons? Do they get a pass, and, if so, for how long? And if years turn into decades and then generations, isn't such a policy more properly described as one of accommodation of tyrants when necessary?

And of course, now we have the problem of Iraq, a war that began for security reasons, turned into an attempt to create a democracy, and now seems primarily intended to avert civil war, genocide, or the triumph of a religiously inspired terrorist ideology. Kanan Makiya, a proponent of the war and once of the proposition that Iraq was ripe for democracy, described the pass we have reached at a gathering last week in Prague of current and former dissident promoters of liberalism and democracy from all over the world: Iraq, he said, is the "sword of Damocles" hanging over democracy promotion.

In the context of domestic politics, the Democratic rank and file, once sympathetic to such concerns as human rights and opposition to authoritarian governments, has now largely flipped, rededicating itself to the proposition of leaving well enough alone. When I told a fellow soccer dad, a smart, witty, and politically attuned Washington lawyer and unabashed partisan Democrat, that I was going to miss the team party because I was off to Prague for a conference on democracy promotion to which, ahem, Bush was going, he noted ruefully, "Sure, there are plenty more places we can screw up in the name of democracy."

Republicans probably ought to take a moment to ask themselves what they would think about Iraq if Bill Clinton had decided to go to war there in 1998, which he nearly did, and run into the same problems we now have. Republicans, after all, arrived late to the nation-building party, for which the George W. Bush and Condoleezza Rice of campaign 2000 openly expressed something close to contempt. And if, as things were going from bad to worse in Iraq, Clinton had given a speech sounding the theme of the Bush second inaugural, it's hard to imagine the GOP response wouldn't have been to declare him a dangerous Wilsonian lunatic.

As matters stand, even for those who sympathize with the Bush vision, there's one more problem, and it is not small: What exactly has Bush done since January 2005 to "promote democratic movements and institutions," let alone "in every nation and culture"? Where is tyranny now on the run as a result of new U.S. pressure? China hasn't budged except to redouble its engagement with dictatorial regimes abroad in defense of the claim that a country's form of government is nobody's business but those who run it. Russia's Vladimir Putin has become increasingly authoritarian, bombastically so.

Venezuela's Hugo Chávez is even more egregious rhetorically, and his recent policy decrees amount to the farthest-reaching repudiation of market principles since the end of the Cold War. Chávez seems to have found a willing stooge in Bolivia's Evo Morales. In Ukraine, the sheen of the Orange Revolution is gone. Vietnam is locking up Catholic priests. The Cedar Revolution in Lebanon is tottering atop a weak state structure barely able to withstand the brutal forces of the neighborhood. Egypt's Hosni Mubarak pocketed the adulatory congratulations of a success-hungry Bush administration for deigning to allow an actual opposition candidate in his 2005 presidential "election," while making sure the opposition was too weak to mount a serious challenge.

There's more, of course. To the list of places where things are getting worse, one must append a list of places where things aren't getting any better. The buzz in the social-science literature these days is about "sustainable autocracy" and the capacity of tyrants to learn from the mistakes that brought down their predecessors.

[clestes-2009]

Well, who would of thought it?????? A weekly standard article that I mostly agree with!!!!!

Tod Lindgerb is right on the money about Bush's lofty promises and **** poor follow through.

The only part I disagree with is his statement about Bush's personal vist beginning all that powerful. He just does not have the respect that is needed to sway someone.

[guysdigdirt]

This is a slanted article as is the norm from the media outlet. Be open and fair. You will not find it all here is this article, by this author or in this publication.

Hillary Clinton advised us to go to war in Iraq. She has now turned her back on the troops there and she is a coward to tell the truth.

Someone recently asked Hillary "If you won the election and were now the President of the US, what would you do first?" She answered that she "would pull the troops out of Iraq". If any of you saw this you would have seen that the Democrats in attendance went wild with clapping and merry making. No one seemed to wonder why she would do as her husband did, and lie to the American People.

She said she would pull the troops out and you and I might think she meant all of them. But she deliberatly did not say she would pull them all out. Recently she told another, smaller, group of VIPs that she sees a need to have US troops in Iraq. In fact her words were "if I am elected President for two consecutive terms, I see a need to have US troops in Iraq even after I am no longer President".

She sees a need to have US troops in Iraq for another 10 years and still she lead the US people to believe she would pull them all out as her first act as President.

She is just like her husband. A liar who will do anything to get the power and then once she has it will do anything she wants with it and the American people be darned!!

[sparks224]

I disagree with the premise that Bush believes in democracy. Afar all of the work that the neo-cons have done, and are still doing, to undermine democracy here in the US, the idea that they believe in democracy is laughable.

[sparks224]

I disagree with the premise that Bush believes in democracy. After all of the work that the neo-cons have done, and are still doing, to undermine democracy here in the US, the idea that they believe in democracy is laughable.

[klifton2-2009]

What does it take for the American public to realize that they have a monumental failure in their hands in the person of George W. Bush. Democracy! Bush believes in democracy? Laughable and a downright insult to every right thinking individual, but then how many right thinking individuals are there in the America? The bloke was voted twice into the WH!

[sparks224]

%u201CThe bloke was voted twice into the WH! %u201C
Posted by klifton2

Keep in mind; he didn%u2019t actually win the election either time. But he did get close enough for the neo-cons to steal it. This of course makes the idea of Bush promoting democracy so ironic.

[sparks224]

Bush And Democracy: Some Things Just Don't Go Together

[Razzl]

It would be a lot easier for the Weekly Standard to be taken seriously on issues like this if you would stop pretending that Bushes' predation on civil liberties at home had nothing to do with this problem. Pretty much every American who reads this is going to see immediately the irony of a president who sets up a constitutional authoritarian regime at home and then preaches democracy abroad. Are you going to deal with this all-too obvious intellectual embarassment, declaring where you really stand on neo-fascism? To ignore it is to be party to the hypocrisy of the Bush regime and a legitimate target for mockery...

[r9119111]

Duggested Reading:

"An Assault On Reason"

[beanerman4]

"Where is tyranny now on the run as a result of new U.S. pressure?"

It ran to the US under the the regime of tyrant King George, the Decider.

[donnie900]

Based on the rhetoric, it got worse. But I'm not sure I can believe the rhetoric. Shirley, I'm so put off by the media today, I don't know what to believe any more. The only ammunition I got left is my Scorcesee judge of character.

[r9119111]

Correction:

"The Assault On Reason'

[donnie900]

Political analysis should back off. If you ask me, they're just as responsible for this nation's woes as these presidents are.

Let us think for ourselves for a change. A good example is Howard Dean whose scream was completely taken out of context intentionally by the liberal media who didn't want him.

Just .. back off, ok?

[pugster]

Bush is an idealist. After threatening, errr convincing 1/2 of the Americans to vote for him in 2004, he thinks that he can bring freedom everywhere from Syberia to Sudan. Instead, his 'vision' of toppling Saddam will bring peace to the Middleeast is laughable.

What happened to the optimism when Clinton left the office? Now most people wish that the terror that Bush have brought for the past 6 years would go away like a bad dream.

[pugster]

All those fear driven Republicans said what if Kerry is President? what if Hilliary is president? Maybe they should ask themselves, what if another Republican is president, 4 more years of no-action.

[tbweb]

Its hard to look at Iraq these days and believe whats going on there. The human carnage makes Saddam look tame by comparison. What price democracy?

[katg21]

Keep in mind; he didn%u2019t actually win the election either time. But he did get close enough for the neo-cons to steal it. This of course makes the idea of Bush promoting democracy so ironic.

Posted by sparks224 at 03:30 PM : Jun 14, 2007

How'd we steal it? Stop crying about it already, dems will get their chance to screw things up soon enough.

[xzavierbrown]

I am sure the founding fathers of this country was worried about thier enemy's rights when they were fighting for our freedom. We cannot win our peace of mind when people like Mr. Lindberg is more concerned about being PC and not upsetting the rights of our enemies.

[bm6005]

The man's a lying sack of S.h.i.t.!!!

[bill1fj]

I'm Sorry.
I once voted for Bush.
I apologize to everyone for me ever doing that.
I just hope we can all survive long enough for his term to run out, since Congress wouldn't impeach him for "just" lying to the country, getting us in a war under false pretense, and for not enfocing the laws about illegal aliens. Not to mention many human rights violations against our own citizens.
I'm sorry.

[katg21]

I'm Sorry.
I once voted for Bush.
I apologize to everyone for me ever doing that.
I just hope we can all survive long enough for his term to run out, since Congress wouldn't impeach him for "just" lying to the country, getting us in a war under false pretense, and for not enfocing the laws about illegal aliens. Not to mention many human rights violations against our own citizens.
I'm sorry.

Posted by bill1fj at 07:46 PM : Jun 14, 2007

Sell out

[sjc_1]

Bush talks democracy and then supports the military dictator in Pakistan because he has to. Pakistan would have never allowed fly overs to Afghanistan in 2002 if he was not promised something.

The State Department's threats to "bomb them back to the stone age" not withstanding, they probably promised to support his military dictatorship in exchange. Some cheer leading on democracy, more a rally for hypocrisy.

[bluestardad]

Not a bad article for the Pro-Israeli Magazine. It does out line the fact that we have No actionable intelligence in the State Department and a one size fits all Democratic approach does not work in the real world.

The bottom line is that bush is a liar and has killed thousands.

[toldyouso21]

America can topple anybody it wants. we have the means and the belief that we and only we, know what is good and right for everyone else and we'll even kill to make others see the light.

The only problems with that, and it is the reasons for our failures in Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, etc are:

1. Leaders are not countries. People are countries. People have their own ideas and sentiments about what a government should be and indeed how THEY should be governed and they will trend toward their own ideas.

2. We think people want to be like us--almost no one in the world wants to be like us--they just want what we have and they want aspects of our lives--but on the whole, the world has a lot of contempt for America and Americans, (even Europe)

3. We think we are the model to emulate. Unfortunately, after we bomb, maim and destroy a culture--they are not likely to want to be like us, it would be self flagellation or masochism to do so--sort of like an abused child wanting to grow up and planning to be an abuser too.

4. Bullies win the day and even have temporary allies--but in the end--the actions of a bully means it cannot win. NO one really likes a bully. Not really. Not even a bully's lackeys.

Forced Democracy? Think about it.

[toldyouso21]

Posted by guysdigdirt at 02:14 PM : Jun 14, 2007


Why do you think when someone makes a decision, that they cannot change their mind? Who taught you that?

Survival does not go to the fittest or the strongest. Evolution teaches survival goes to the one who can adapt. That means to bend. To compromise. The tree that cannot bend in the storm is snapped like a twig, the building that cannot sway and move with an earthquake crumbles.

To not bend or change only appears like strength to those ignorant of the laws of survival. Those who cannot bend (like Bush) are eventually broken. It is a law of nature.

[toldyouso21]

I am sure the founding fathers of this country was worried about thier enemy's rights when they were fighting for our freedom. We cannot win our peace of mind when people like Mr. Lindberg is more concerned about being PC and not upsetting the rights of our enemies.
Posted by xzavierbrown at 07:13 PM : Jun 14, 2007


You make an important point--our founding fathers were fighting for their freedom. They came up with the idea, wanted it, fought for it and prevailed. It might have been a different story if instead of fighting our oppressor, we had say, Spain imposing themselves on us to supposedly free us. Then, we might have put our freedom on hold, while we fought the interloper that dared to get in our business and tried to force us to be free on their terms.

Maybe..if Spain had started the war, we'd still be a colony of England--not because we liked being ruled from afar--but because we would be d@mned if we would accept another country getting our business, killing us, and demanding how we should be. Odds are, if that had happend England and Americans would have joined forces against the outsider who tried to bully us.

Nobody likes outsiders coming in, killing and tryingto tell everyone what to do. Freedom imposed is not freedom, no matter how we spin it. Our founding fathers would have realized that--DO YOU?

[katg21]

What has been sold out (mostly to Red china...
Posted by ainttaken at 08:48 AM : Jun 15, 2007

Thank you Bill Clinton

[drinuk]

The People of America and England will be paying the price of the Bush Blair partnership for many decades. They are now "Spinning" the excuse here in the UK that the Iraq intelligence was a Mistake, whilst in truth it was a blatant, contrived and deliberate deception. They even conspired to kill a arms inspector because they feared he would expose them. Sadly both regimes have caused untold harm to thier people and I for one hope they all rot in hell.

Spare a thought today for yet another five families whose bitter sadness we share.

[grumpas]

Bush doesn't have a clue what Democracy is all about!!!! As far as he is concerned it's about the rich having everything and everyone else being poor and struggling. That's his idea of democracy! So, how does he or anyone else imagine he is going to promote it around the world. This was another one of his grandeous ideas when he mentioned it. It sounds nobel but anyone with a brain in their head knows it won't work. You can't forcefeed democracy to people who don't have a clue what it is and don't want it. Let's face it. Most of the world doesn't want our style of government.

[katg21]

You can't forcefeed democracy to people who don't have a clue what it is and don't want it. Let's face it. Most of the world doesn't want our style of government.
Posted by grumpas at 09:16 AM : Jun 15, 2007

You believe that most of the world doesn't want freedom? Funny. Radical extremest groups and communists don't want our "style of government"; that's why they fight us. Don't you think the world would be a better place if we could all share in the benefits of freedom? Of course you don't; you're voting for socialism's greatest fan, Hillary. Get ready to lose your freedoms my friend.

[taddles-2009]

Bush and Democracry?!?!? Now THAT's a contradiction in terms. You want Democracy? get rid of Bush and his fascist cronies and you might get some.

[marcodele]

How ironic that a neocon response foresees Hillary as a threat to freedom, but doesn't mention the hundreds of traditional civil liberties that have gone into the Bush/Cheney trashcan in the past seven years. Phone tapping of any american, library book tracking, government endorsed torture, and a slew of other actions that have all been dressed down by a conservative Supreme Court.

The best line in this article is "Bush must "close the gap between what he says and believes and what the machinery of our government actually does.""

As referenced earlier in the article, there have been many critics going "gotcha" and pointing to Bush hypocrisy.

Professing to do one thing and doing the exact opposite is exactly how this bunch of partison oil thugs got into office. And the sad fact is there are enough unthinking American voters who swallow hook, line and sinker every Karl Rove spin phrase ever fed into Junior's ear microphone
to come out of his hypocritical mouth. They watch FoxNews, they listen to Rush. They are "educated and informed in a fair and balanced manner."

Stop tyranny? Yes, in November of 2008.

[katg21]

Whatcha gonna tell us now (for the millionth time)???? katg221??? its all the main stream media's fault???? or maybe you can dig down real deep to neocon no-accountability excuse #3...your own activist judges or US attorneys.

Posted by ainttaken at 10:12 AM : Jun 15, 2007

Clinton covered his steps; Admiral Boorda, Chief of Naval Operations, who spilled the beans on Clinton voluntarily handing over classified secrets to China "committed suicide". I'm so sick of you dems portraying your leaders as such saints. OPEN YOUR EYES. Four more years of Clinton is not the answer.
Had we been at war when Clinton was in office there wouldn't have been the surplus you speak of. Anyway the deficit is a small percentage of our gross national product. You never hear about how our deficit has been reduced significantly and in a record amount of time, not to mention our great economy and low interest rates in spite of 9/11, wars in Iraq and afgan., Katrina, etc.. I'd love to have seen how Clinton would have handled it. Good time Charlie wouldn't have done anything I'm sure of it.

"And of course, now we have the problem of Iraq, a war that began for security reasons, turned into an attempt to create a democracy, and now seems primarily intended to avert civil war, genocide, or the triumph of a religiously inspired terrorist ideology."

This is precisely the problem and not just in Iraq. Bush foreign policy has been consistently incoherent and opportunist, ready to rewrite the reasons for doing anything at the drop of a hat. Why? Because the reasons are mere rhetoric and returnable anytime without notice.

What has driven our actions in the world since 9/11/01 has been the sheer petulant impulses of one man without reference to any genuine understanding of the very real dangers to the United States, and the very real consequences [such as the unchecked Iranian nuclear program] of military action in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and for no particular reason at all, save for the "reasons" high-sounding rhetoric may suggest.

[rushlimpdrug]

I do recall embedded reporters storming into Iraq reporting on bringing freedom to a country hungry for democracy.

Reporters are some of the biggest sellouts.
A free ride with the military in Iraq on the front steps of democracy.
A picture of a statue of a terrible dictator being toppled.
Thanks for the memories . . .

[katg21]

How ironic that a neocon response foresees Hillary as a threat to freedom, but doesn't mention the hundreds of traditional civil liberties that have gone into the Bush/Cheney trashcan in the past seven years. Phone tapping of any american, library book tracking, government endorsed torture, and a slew of other actions that have all been dressed down by a conservative Supreme Court.
Posted by marcodele at 10:25 AM : Jun 15, 2007

Oh, are you worried that our government is listening in on your phone calls and is interested in what books YOU check out at the library...(laughs). Oh and torture... yeah that rock music is really killin' them. Thanks for the laugh.

[jimfinster]

Given his horrible performance thus far, talk without action is a good thing.

[marcodele]

Kat: I'm glad you can laugh about government sponsored torture. It probably is funny to you and your kind. --

[thee0racle]

The media has catered to this power grabbing, oil hungry madman for 6 years. Now they're coming to the inevitable conclusions that the 'nut cases' have been pointing out all along.

[marcodele]

Bush 'installing' democracy! That's really funny, considering he probably couldn't install a battery into a flashlight without calling for the butler.

[retiredinmex]

Is anyone as mad as me? What the hell is Bush doing still in office?

He has illegally, immorally and unilaterally invaded a country that originally had no ties to terrorism. Now, yes, there are many terrorism threats as Iraq is an international terrorist congregation point.

I served in Iraq and spoke with hundreds of US and "Coalition" military members. I guarantee you there was no one who agreed with our/their presence in Iraq.

When was the last time you heard the media refer to "the Coalition?"

Who are the terrorists in Iraq? What the hell has Bush gotten us into? Where's the plan to get out of this quagmire?

Is there a poll of parents of the dead, injured or missing as to their support for this war?

[beanerman4]

Anyway the deficit is a small percentage of our gross national product. You never hear about how our deficit has been reduced significantly and in a record amount of time, not to mention our great economy and low interest rates in spite of 9/11, wars in Iraq and afgan., Katrina, etc.. I'd love to have seen how Clinton would have handled it.
Posted by katg21 at 10:54 AM : Jun 15, 2007

Whoa!!! Sort of, by the way, ANYWAY, the deficit is a small percentage of WHAT? And it's been reduced SIGNIFICANTLY in RECORD TIME? Our GREAT ECONOMY and LOW INTEREST RATES?

What about all the fed hiking of interest rates over the past 6.5 years? Mortgage rates are higher, too. You must be a golden child living high off the hog to think the economy is GREAT.

Iran, Afgan and Katrina were all handled disastrously, not in spite of, but thanks to The Decider.

The King George and Court supporters think all you have to do is go way back in time, to a kindler, gentler place and time far, far away and bash Clinton for all our troubles here today.

Just think of how many years, decades even milliniums people are going to be bashing Mr. 20% after he leaves office in disgrace.

[sjc_1]

Our DEBT however, at more than $9 trillion, is approaching our GDP and just the interest on that debt is more than $400 billion per year...that is just the interest. The debt under Clinton was $5.6 trillion.

They had to raise the debt ceiling yet again, because if they did not borrow more money, they could not make the debt payments. That is not just me saying this, but also Republican Senator Charles Grasley.

Bush Jr. has accumulated more than THREE TRILLION dollars in debt in the last 6 years and Clinton ran $100 billion dollar SURPLUSES in his last two years.

These are facts, no one can dispute this. Now see if you can spin some happy land conclusion on this!

[bombadil4]

Oh please, this article attempting to make some sort of coherent sense out of Bush ignorance, arroagance, and incompetence fails miserably although I guess its sheer length was meant to impress us. We are finally left with the "comfort" that his royal presence is somehow of grand importance to the world while outside, armed police gas the demonstrators. Perhaps as he shook hands with the dignitaries at Prague, he looked into their souls and will let us know who's OK and who's not. Maybe he'll do better than he did with Putin. Unfortunately the press has become too "imbedded" with our corrupt and incompetent government to know (or admit) what a disaster the last 8 years have been

[brianp55]

As with the immigration issue, as long as he just talks about it, we should consider ourselves fortunate.

[roger_inkart]

Gee, could it be he didn't mean a word of it but was actually only interested in promoting an agenda of empowering the GOP, further enriching the powerful industrialists he represents while repressing anyone who isn't rich, white and Christian?

Sadly, the moderates and indepedents fell for it - all the the massive detriment to the nation and the world.

[ubrew12]

"Iraq, [Kanan Makiya] said, is the "sword of Damocles" hanging over democracy promotion."

I think its more correct to use the word 'war' in place of 'democracy' in the phrase above. Democracy isn't promoted by war, it can't be, since its the 'consent of the governed', and its hard to imagine the 'governed' voting to have themselves bombed by foreigners. Moreover, aggressive foreign action to promote democracy falls to hubris: its simply impossible to make good governing decisions in a place whose outcome simply doesn't affect you. As long as remote 'others' must pay the price for your bad decisions, you are unlikely to make good ones. Democracy, being an expression of freedom, must come from within, not from without.

One thing I think would help the peaceful promotion of democracy: economic security. When people are starving, or working 15hrs/day just to put food on the table, they aren't going to be arguing the subtleties of the First Amendment anytime soon. The U.S. could do much to ensure foreign peoples have a full belly, aren't overworked and underpaid, and live in societies that offer them enough economic security that they don't feel the need to pop out 15 kids to ensure a secure retirement. Once these conditions prevail, once economic fairness is felt (no, not through communism, but control of the worst excesses of capitalism), people will argue for political freedom.

[lastdance2]

"My Goverment"
Pres. Bush (06-13-07)

Quoting - "Hitler" - again ! ! !

Lastdance

[middleman8]

What a sick, stupid, propaganda laced article. Don't try to cover the madmans policy's with a comfort blanket of lies and twisted words. Sence the Bush's iligal wars most countries want nothing to do with U S type democracy. Their opinion now is GO ON HOME YANKIE BIRD, WE DON'T WANT YOUR G-D ***.

[sparks224]

Bush And Democracy: Some Things Just Don't Go Together