The Power Of Denial

Bush, although not entirely rubbishing the NIE on Iran, rubbishes the NIE on Iran and who to? Why Olmert of course, that other sane, 'serious' leader adamantly opposed to reality. Isn't it striking that Bush has spent a week in the middle east, fluffing despots, stroking kings and emirs and soothing Israeli nationalists whilst espousing the beneficial effects of freedom and democracy. That neither freedom nor democracy are available to any citizen of the middle east, with the exception of fortress Israel, and probably won't be for a very long time, who do you think his audience really was, why, it's us shmucks back in the Good 'Ol US of A of course. This is about this idiots legacy, he's pulling out all the stops for one last push at creating something, anything approaching a positive for his two terms of ineptitude, incompetence and betrayal.

I'll willingly cede to the idea that Iran is a sponsor of state terrorism with their links to Hezbollah and possibly Hamas, that they have fostered an antagonistic attitude toward their immediate neighbors and the West and that they continue to be ruled by ignorance, intolerance and bigotry. However, much of the same could be said about Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the numerous emirates surrounding them who's only difference is, they are willing to pay lip service to western leaders in return for international indifference to their closed, sociopathic, absolute monarchies.

Iran is really no different from the rest of the middle east with the caveat that they are less willing to play the game, we in our infinite arrogance, insist they play.