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The Spectacle Blog
Former President George W. Bush made a rare appearance in Washington, D.C. today on behalf of George W. Bush Institute which promotes universal freedom and houses the “Freedom Collection”, an archive of video testimonial by activists in freedom movements the world over. Amongst those who provided testimonials include the late Czech President Vaclav Havel, Liberian President Ellen Sirleaf Johnson and Kang Chol-Hwan who survived a decade in a North Korean labor camp and wrote about his experiences in the book Aquariams of Pyongyang (which I highly recommend).
The event included a video interview with newly elected Burmese parliamentarian Aung San Suu Kyi and was attended by dissidents from around the globe. I second Elliot Abrams when he writes, “The support that Bush and his wife Laura, who spoke as well and who took a special interest in ending the dictatorship in Burma, gave to such dissidents is notably absent today.”
However, I was troubled by the former President’s enthusiasm for the Arab Spring especially when he said, “America does not get to choose if a freedom revolution should begin or end in the Middle East or elsewhere. It only gets to choose what side it is on.”
The problem with that, of course, what side we’re on doesn’t come down to a choice of good and bad but rather a choice between bad and worse. More often than not, kicking out the old and bringing in the new does not bring with it more freedom. In Egypt, we’re choosing the Muslim Brotherhood over a military regime. In Libya, we chose al Qaeda over Colonel Qaddafi. In Syria, we may choose al Qaeda over Assad. Of course, we rid Iraq of the Stalinesque Saddam Hussein only to replace it with an Iranian puppet which has driven Iraqi Christians out of the country. It is difficult to promote universal freedom in Muslim countries that would deny the most basic freedoms to non-Muslims not to mention the ancient schism between Sunni and Shia Muslims.
This isn’t to say that Bush’s endeavors aren’t noble and I think they can be helpful in places like Burma, Cuba or Zimbabwe. Nevertheless, humanity is seldom black and white but rather shades of grey covered in crimson.
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More Blog Posts by Aaron Goldstein
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/05/15/bush-praises-arab-spring
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bagittagit| 5.15.12 @ 5:49PM
The Bushes favor New World Order, not freedom.
George Jr. may have included Iran in an 'Axis of Evil' speech (cheap talk) but his actions show he supports Iran just as his arms-for-hostages father did. Bush also supports Putin ("I have looked into his soul and it is good") whose dictatorship is using Iran as a stalking horse just as China does with North Korea. Obama may currently hold the title of America's #1 national security threat but Bush and his Establishment Republican World Citizen wantabees are evil also and supporting them has damaged the Right far more than Obama and his Socialist minions ever could.
PCC| 5.16.12 @ 8:27AM
Sorry, Aaron, but I disagree with you on this and I agree with President Bush.
The U.S.' short-term position of upending oppressive regimes where it can is consistent with our long-term interests, even if the resulting medium-term mess may be uncomfortable and distasteful for us.
Bro| 5.16.12 @ 11:24AM
Tell that to the Christians in Egypt.
Mike 3/505| 5.16.12 @ 1:12PM
And in Iran....
Also...please do tell me how a policy of throwing Allies...Allies who we have signed treaties with us... under the bus, will encourage other folks to trust us and be on our side when the times get tough.
I await the purported logic of this with bated breath.
C Bowen | 5.15.12 @ 5:57PM
Good points: Bush's foreign policy was a disaster, and Obama is carrying forward the Bush tradition.
Occam's Tool| 5.16.12 @ 2:31PM
The "Arab Spring" is a nightmare.
Paul McGrath| 5.15.12 @ 6:22PM
It would be good for the Republican Party and good for the country in general if Bush would go back to Crawford and stay out of the public eye for the rest of his life.
Pete| 5.16.12 @ 11:25AM
His endorsement of Romney didn't exactly give me a thrill
darcy| 5.15.12 @ 6:29PM
No surprise here. Bush has proved naive at best and traitorous at worst: for no celebration of an Arab Spring can proceed without an implicit attack on US sovereignty. The much vaunted freedom won for Arabs ensures the end of freedom for any who oppose Sharia in those lands -- and ultimately here in America where increasingly we learn that Christendom butts heads with the march of Islam on our own soil.
Apparently Bush is just fine with consigning what remains of Christendom in those lands to inescapable dhimmitude -- or death.
He's doing the work of Satan. For which he will long be remembered.
Greg| 5.15.12 @ 6:48PM
He also thought Iraq was filled with Thomas Jefferson's.
PCP Smoker| 5.15.12 @ 9:31PM
The Left was right, Bush is a MORON.
Dittohead| 5.15.12 @ 9:55PM
As El Rushbo says, if Bush were still president we would have conquered the entire Middle East by now, unlike that pinko pansy Obummer.
darcy| 5.16.12 @ 1:33AM
Nonsense. Utter and complete rubbish. "We would have conquered the entire Middle East;" and to what end? To make of its people happy democrats to impose Sharia across the entire region? And that would benefit the US exactly how?
Dittohead| 5.16.12 @ 9:53AM
Bush 2: the greatest president ever. Better even than Reagan.
Will| 5.16.12 @ 5:55AM
The "Arab Spring" will amount to one of the greatest mistakes in history, and will have grim consequences for whats left of the civilized world. I don't know what he's talking about, and he doesn't know either. I do know what imposing Sharia law across all of North Africa means, however.
martin j smith| 5.16.12 @ 7:30AM
IN GWBs seccond term as I recall he went wonky on the War on Terror and became very PC regarding Radical Islam and Terror connection. The administration worked with CAIR and other such organizations. No I think GWB should stay out of the spot light. Too much exposure may be dangerous to our nation.
darcy| 5.16.12 @ 1:08PM
martin j smith, I saw a YouTube interview yesterday in which Bush stated he believes that Muslims and Christians worship the same God, that essentially all roads lead to heaven. I think this explains why he "went wonky," and perhaps it also explains what I've heard are his one-worlder views. I would say that GWB is a very confused soul.
The interview was with Charlie Gibson.
darcy| 5.16.12 @ 1:09PM
Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4iVbqCIYPo
Chris (the second one)| 5.17.12 @ 8:50AM
He went wonky after 9/11 when he refused to blame Islam in general for the problem.
JimH| 5.16.12 @ 7:59AM
Why does Bush find it necessary to pick a side?
martin j smith| 5.16.12 @ 10:35AM
At one time I sympathized with GWB because of the outrageous bobardment from the LEFT propaganda. However I got tired of his silence and failure to respond. I also saw GWB falter as a leader of our nation
in his second term and thus fail. He became the American Wipping Boy Poster Child.
Thus in my view any Bush is toxic and GWB in this case demonstrates why his views are toxic. Good by GWB> No more.
PattyMor| 5.16.12 @ 2:27PM
It was Bush who went around proclaiming Islam, the Religion of Peace. Rubbish, its the religion of pieces, as in blowing up people to pieces, shooting people to pieces, and ramming planes into buildings. I wonder, did he take money from the Saudis? Or just George Soros?
randyinrocklin| 5.16.12 @ 3:52PM
GW lost it when he went for TARP giving up free market principles and now this? wow he really went off the deep end on that one. I'm a conservative and have been deeply disappointed with the Bushies.
Pete| 5.16.12 @ 4:52PM
And lead to the victory by Obama. If Obama is the anti-Christ, then Bush is the anti-John the Baptist.