Bush shows his contempt for democracy
The Bush administration will support a Palestinian state, it seems, conditioned on the ouster of Yassir Arafat. Never mind that Arafat is the democratically elected leader of the Palestinian people, that independent observers have determined the election to be free and fair, and that the Bush administration has publicly admitted Arafat’s legitimacy in the recent past.
Secretary of State Colin Powell, in an interview with CNN, said “Chairman Arafat is head of the Palestinian Authority, and he is recognized — whether you approve of it or not — as the leader of the Palestinian people.” On April 9, 2002, Powell said “I have said this repeatedly: it is up to the Palestinian people to decide who their leader will be.” That tune has changed. Powell told NPR today that the Palestinians don’t have “the right kind of democracy.”
Indeed. So the Bush administration supports democracy in Palestine, but only if that democracy produces the concessions demanded by the United States.
It’s especially clawing that Bush would call for “multi-party” elections in Palestine, considering the opposition of Republicans and Democrats to multi-party elections here at home.