January 10, 2006
The girlfriend’s gifts are nicer than the wife’s
Today, President Bush gave another one of his Iraq pep rally speeches, touting the usual nebulous progress with the now familiar well cut prose. He once again talked of the promise in the successful election and the ongoing attempts to form a unity government. The following excerpt from his speech is wonderfully written and a beautiful vision of how a democracy should work.
“Now Iraqis must reach out once again across political and religious and sectarian lines and form a government of national unity that gives a voice to all Iraqis… Sunnis need to learn how to use their influence constructively in a democratic system to benefit their community and the country at large. And Shia and Kurds need to understand that successful free societies protect the rights of a minority against the tyranny of the majority. The promise of democracy begins with free elections and majority rule — but it is fulfilled by minority rights, and equal justice, and an inclusive society in which every person belongs. A country that divides into factions and dwells on old grievances cannot move forward — and risks sliding back into tyranny. Compromise and consensus and power-sharing are the only path to national unity and lasting democracy.”
Now if only our President felt those same ideas applied to our democracy back here in the homeland.