Bush Burning (In) The Holy Land, And Adding Fuel

Sorry. I missed it. I watch all the major news channels, but I admit I still must have completely missed the news. I must have been sleeping. How else could it have happened?

It was only from follow up news reports in the media that I guessed how Laura Bush must have been elected to office, or perhaps been appointed a special envoy to the Middle East. Or something.

Imagine that. All this time, I merely thought she was a squeaky sounding teacher married to someone who can barely speak English, with daughters who can barely stay sober.

Yet, there she was, right on my TV screen, and in news photos, apparently on some God-given mission passed on by her crusading husband to go to the Holy Land. Forget about honoring a burning bush, this Bush went off – on whose advice, I do not know – to burn up the Middle East.

This is a time when the world’s 1.3 Billion Muslims are still reeling in anger at reports of desecration of the Holy Koran by US troops or officials. American foreign policy is looking more and more like a Crusade to Muslims. US soldiers guilty of murder and homicide of Muslim prisoners are getting away scot-free or serving meaningless 3-month sentences (shorter terms than people get for minor crimes even in America).

President Bush has turned decades-old American policy on Palestinian Occupied Territories on its head, showing how not to win friends or positively influence people around the world. We have clamored for “regime change” in Muslim countries that did NOT attack us, while protecting the most egregious examples of dictatorships, like Saudi Arabia, Egypt and even Pakistan.

The Central Asian Republics are on the verge of exploding into their own versions of Taliban like fundamentalist revolutions. Muslims in Kashmir, Thailand, and many other countries are ripe for falling into the arms of Bin Laden and his henchmen.

In this geo-political situation, the White House has sent the wife of the most-hated recent American President (which in itself is no small feat) worldwide right into the most sensitive spot, Jerusalem. A crusader’s Christian wife going in with Jewish Israeli troops into an internationally recognized disputed territory would be bad enough. Sending her off, black headscarf notwithstanding, into the Al-Aqsa Mosque seemed almost like some White House lackey’s answer to “How can we make things even worse?”

What amazed me next was Laura Bush, apparently now an “instant expert” on Middle East and world affairs, commenting on the pace of democracy there, ironically Egypt in particular.

Apparently someone asked a rhetorical question, “How can we show the world and Muslims how transparently hypocritical we are?”

Laura Bush, and the White House answered in unison.

In the same time period the US is condemning Iran’s fundamentalists for disqualifying some moderate candidates in their upcoming elections.

Yet, the wise and all-knowing Laura Bush, unelected and un-appointed representative of the United States government, Americans and good people around the world, praised the “pace of democracy” of pro-American Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak.

This was praise for his announcing elections towards a sham democracy - where his appointees will basically get to choose the candidate who can run against him!

I wondered what is next? How can we make things even worse?

Perhaps Laura Bush can hold a press conference and commend Pakistan’s General Musharaff, who, it is said, plans to remain in power well past any false promised dates for free and fair elections there?

While she is at it, why not go all the way, and commend the rulers of Saudi Arabia for being the beacon of democracy, religious freedom and especially women’s rights? That ought to ensure every bush in the Middle East is burning – just not the way that will help light the path to democracy, world peace or religious reconciliation.

My flippant question was, unfortunately, answered. ‘Second Lady’ Lynne Cheney has declared that Laura Bush should be our next President!

I really should be careful asking rhetorical questions considering the answers our government is capable of giving.

What do I know? I am not an expert like Laura Bush, I mean, President (unelect) Laura Bush.

Since this piece was written, here is progress on Democracy, Laura & George Bush style:

In reality, Saudi Arabia continues to export fundamentalism but remains safe from democracy as long as the royal family remains friends with the Bush family. Egypt has actually fomented some of the unrest related to the Danish cartoons about Prophet Muhammad that have caused so much unrest. Pakistan's dictator says he will remain Army head even after 2007, meaning, for life.

These were three countries that we could easily have had real democracy.

But, these are the ones the Bushes like, and one can only imagine how Laura and George see, hear and speak no "evil" of democracy to these tyrants.

In the meantime, Hamas has actually won an election in Occupied Palestine! And, the White House is surprised, and now unhappy. So, we have democracy that we do not want, while we prop up tyrants and Laura beams and George.. well, George Bush just "be's" George Bush.

Editorial Cartoon By Peter Welleman