A distasteful glee emanates from the Left upon the arrival of any bad news from the Middle East. It??¢â???¬â???¢s as if they are saying, ??¢â???¬?????So, W, where is all the Democracy we??¢â???¬â???¢re supposed to be spreading through the area? See, we were right, and you were wrong. And deceitful. And dumb.??¢â???¬ And as bad news is welcomed as an indictment of the President and his policies, good news (and there has been plenty) must be minimized or ignored.
It??¢â???¬â???¢s one thing to oppose an Administration??¢â???¬â???¢s foreign policy, but it??¢â???¬â???¢s another to publicly gloat over and appear to smugly enjoy any of its setbacks. The long tradition of a Loyal Opposition in this country now appears to be an old-fashioned notion. There may have been widespread resistance to America??¢â???¬â???¢s entry into World War II, but once we were in it, there wasn??¢â???¬â???¢t much doubt about whom Americans were pulling for.
If our country??¢â???¬â???¢s Middle East policies prove to be the disaster some claim, there will be plenty of time for recriminations. And while there??¢â???¬â???¢s certainly nothing wrong with voicing concerns about these policies, what is to be gained by actively working to undercut them or rooting for their failure? Wouldn??¢â???¬â???¢t it be better if they succeeded? Isn??¢â???¬â???¢t bringing millions of long-oppressed people a chance to live in freedom a noble achievement? Isn??¢â???¬â???¢t ensuring women the right to vote and the right to an education something to be celebrated? Won??¢â???¬â???¢t the world be a safer place if hope replaces despair in the lives of that region??¢â???¬â???¢s youth?
Democrats continue to puzzle over their losses. They blame them on people who are too addlebrained to know they are voting against their own interests. Then they go to these same voters they??¢â???¬â???¢ve trashed and ask for their support. They seem to revel in any American setbacks overseas and yet protest when they are characterized as ??¢â???¬?????weak??¢â???¬ on defense issues. They stereotype Christians but cry foul when they are accused of not sharing their ??¢â???¬?????values??¢â???¬ .
Ronald Reagan brought hopefulness back into vogue in this country. Sophisticates mocked ??¢â???¬?????Morning in America??¢â???¬ and gasped at the phrase, ??¢â???¬?????Evil Empire??¢â???¬ and chortled over the notion Mr. Gorbachev would ??¢â???¬?????tear down this wall??¢â???¬ , but Americans are a hopeful people. And, while optimism is not a policy, it can help form policy.
There are plenty of issues over which you can disagree with George W. Bush, including Iraq and his push for democratization throughout the world. You may find him wrongheaded or na???? ¯ve. You may think his policies will blow up in our faces. But if you feel that way, shouldn??¢â???¬â???¢t you at least hope you??¢â???¬â???¢re wrong and he??¢â???¬â???¢s right.
