What if Hamas wins the election in Palestine?

[quaoar]

Would Bush respect the will of the Palestinian voters or would he subvert the results?

This would be the true test of whether Bush really beleives in democracy or whether it's all just bullshit.

I vote for bull shit.

This is Pat Buchanan's column on the subject:

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44288

Speed bumps on Democracy Boulevard

"When the people of the Palestinian territories went to the polls," said President Bush in Riga, Latvia, "they chose a leader committed to negotiation instead of violence ... The direction of events is clear in the Middle East. Freedom is on the march."

Well, freedom may be on the march, but in Palestine it may be marching away from moderation.

From a May 11 report in the Washington Times, the Palestinian Authority might postpone July's parliamentary elections. Why? The PA fears Hamas will sweep into power. As does Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, who is warning that, if Hamas wins, Israel may scrap its withdrawal plans from Gaza and the West Bank.

"If Hamas wins, I personally think we should not withdraw," says Shalom, a Likud Party rival of Prime Minister Sharon. Sharon is committed to going ahead with the pullout.

To abort a Hamas victory, the Palestinians are preparing to postpone the July elections, perhaps for a year. "Within the clearly rattled Fatah leadership" – the Arafat organization at the heart of the PA – notes the Times, "many older members are pushing for elections next spring to give them time to prepare for a surge in support for Hamas. ... Others are hoping to compromise on a date in November."

[GRLMGC]

1. No

This is very interesting. We want to introduce other nations to democracy but we won't accept their choices. If a country votes for a fundamentalist government, that's their choice, in spite of the fact that other Western countries might not like it. Hell, I'd probably be wary of it too but isn't the choice of the nation democracy? I think that's fascinating.

[Jane Austin]

2. Hey, Freedom's on the March.

n/t

[tobeornottobe]

3. Between what stinks less,

bullshit or Pat Buchanan, I'd vote for bullshit too.