Islamic Dictatorship

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — President Bush raised a new defense of his Iraq policy Wednesday, saying the Middle East has the potential to create democracies like those that arose in Japan and South Korea if the United States perseveres. "The hard work we are doing in the Middle East can have the same results we've seen in Asia and elsewhere, if we show the same perseverance and the same sense of purpose," Bush said. Bush's speeches Wednesday and next week are designed to "provide broader context" for the "long-term" debate over future Iraq policy, said presidential counselor Ed Gillespie. Next week's speech will focus on the Middle East, he said.

• JJ Commentary: As with many analogies, this one fails due to one primary difference – Islamic government does not lend itself to democracy, but is instead, by definition, dictatorial.