[John Kilduff]

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Just a sidenote: there doesn't have to be anything wrong with a Middle Eastern people if they aren't culturally amenable to democracy, just as there doesn't have to be anything wrong with the Canadian people if they aren't culturally amenable to Shari'a law.

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This is apologism, Western guilt and political correctness at its finest.

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Not sure I follow you; would you elaborate please?

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What I mean is if you live in country where the government respects all people's rights, and not just those of bearded devout males, provides due process of law, etc., etc.,

Then you should be able to say that your government is better than the other's. Western government is better than what they are serving in the Middle East, and the Middle East would be better off in the long run if they had Western governments. Saying different is just trying to be apologistic & PC. It's also cowardly, because the governments in the Middle East, and now Africa, are what is causing terrorism as we have it today.

Don't get me wrong, America has screwed up in Iraq. But Gearge Bush was right when he said it wasn't going to be easy. Where he screwed up was that he tried to take the easier route anyways because of the upcoming re-election campaign.

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I agree, and I don't have any problem with saying that Wester-stylen governments are better than Middle Eastern-style and/or Shari'a governments.

I think we are talking past each other here, because what I was trying to point out is that it is a mistaken and often hidden presumption on the part of Westerners who think that there must be something "wrong" with people in the Middle East if those people are not amenable to Western-style democracy. Iron81 made a comment and another poster semed to think it might imply that he thought there was something "wrong" with Middle Easterners or with Iraqis. But saying that large groups of Middle Easterners will not take to Western-style democracy, does not imply that there is anything "wrong" with those people; it's just stating a likely fact.

The truth is, they were raised in a culture that is so very different than ours, that it would be the exception rather than the rule to find Middle Easterners (except Israelis) who really believe in and would support Western-style government. It's not an insult at all to state or imply such, and it doesn't mean there is anything "wrong" with those people. This is a whole different matter than whether or not Western-style governments are better than Middle Eastern-style governments (and I think Western-style governments are definitely better and can be stated as such without apology).