Shining City on the Hill

Remember one of the early replacement rationales for going to war with Iraq (after no WMD had been found) was that we were creating a democracy in the Middle East which would act as a domino, or perhaps a weed, and spread throughout the region?

Check out some of today's headlines:

Pakistan Explosion Kills 18, Police Say

7 Killed in Factional Violence in Gaza

Call me kooky but I really don't see the spread of democracy. I see the spread of violence. We're still fighting in Afghanistan. Sure, sure, we could have actually won but Mr. Bush decided to go to Iraq instead. Meanwhile, in Iraq 100 of our soldiers died last month, we're searching for kidnapped soldiers today and refugees continue to flood out of the country. OH, and in a true democratic fashion, following our President's work habits, the Iraqi Parliament wants to take the summer off.

But the good news is that Mr. Bush has managed to piss of the Russians and perhaps usher back the Cold War. Now there's a war we understand.