Once again, Bush seems to be confused about his friends in Pakistan. From an Oval Office event over the weekend with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, by way of Noam Scheiber:
“One of the interesting lessons that the world can look at is Pakistan. You see, there are some in the world who do not believe that a Muslim society can self-govern. Some believe that the only solution for government in parts of the world is for there to be tyranny or despotism. I don’t believe that. The Pakistan people have proven that those cynics are wrong. And where President Musharraf can help in world peace is to help remind people what is possible. And the solution in the Middle East is for there to be a world effort to help the Palestinians develop a state that is truly free — one that’s got an independent judiciary, one that’s got a civil society, one that’s got the capacity to fight off the terrorists, one that allows for dissent, one in which people can vote. And President Musharraf can play a big role in helping achieve that objective.”
That’s right, Bush is pointing to Musharraf as an example of the power of democracy in the region. That would be the same Musharraf who seized power in 1999 in a military coup.
There was an “election” in April 2002 in which Pakistan offered its citizens a one-candidate ballot. Indeed, the national referendum that allowed Musharraf to keep his self-appointed title of president, offered voters this question on their ballot:
“For the survival of the local government system, establishment of democracy, continuity of reforms, end to sectarianism and extremism, would you like to elect President General Pervez Musharraf as president for five years?”
And Bush would have us believe that it’s Musharraf who can stand as a beacon for creating a “truly free” Middle Eastern country in which “people can vote.” Is Bush even aware of the Pakistani system of government?
Two other quick points.
One, Bush continues to say that “there are some in the world who do not believe that a Muslim society can self-govern.” The tactic is transparent: Bush is the enlightened liberal battling bigots. But has Bush ever, even once, pointed to an actual person who has argued publicly that Muslims are incapable of democracy?
And two, Musharraf and Bush may be friendly, but Musharraf still believes the war in Iraq has made the world more dangerous.
“I think it’s less safe,” Gen. Pervez Musharraf said on CNN’s “Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer.”
Asked whether he considered the invasion a mistake, the Pakistani leader said: “With hindsight, yes. We have landed ourselves in more trouble, yes.”
Musharraf may be Bush’s “friend,” but he still knows a disastrous war when he sees one.