tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877540.post3033276932730251322..comments2024-01-18T05:45:59.595-05:00Comments on The Daily Bellwether: OH-08 GOP John Boehner: He Doesn't Know Israel Is A Middle East DemocracyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12712163977315292252noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877540.post-86960674443832848932008-03-23T11:34:00.000-04:002008-03-23T11:34:00.000-04:00Oh, Bill! Just stop now before you make Boehner c...Oh, Bill! Just stop now before you make Boehner cry.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877540.post-6281998256427759002008-03-20T16:16:00.000-04:002008-03-20T16:16:00.000-04:00Anon 12:26 --Muslim world? He was talking about t...Anon 12:26 --<BR/><BR/>Muslim world? He was talking about the Muslim world? That is much larger than the Middle East, and takes in far more territory as you most certainly know. It stretches from North Africa (Morocco on the Atlantic coast of Africa comes to mind) and includes several nations to the west of Israel. To the east, the Muslim world stretches all the way to Pakistan and beyond to include Indonesia, which is nowhwere near the Middle East. Indeed, I believe the nation with the world's largest Muslim population is India, which is a democracy. There are also Muslim nations -- Kosovo and Bosnia -- in Europe, and others are also in the old Soviet bloc.<BR/><BR/>And "that part of the world" means exactly what? Iraq is in what part of the world? It is in the same part of the world as Israel, the Middle East. I can defend my view that Rep. Boehner excluded Israel from the list of democracies. If he had some other definition of "that part of the world" in mind he should have enunciated it precisely. There are democracies in the Muslim world. There are democracies in the Middle East. He did not mention them when he said Iraq was the first democracy in that part of the world.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12712163977315292252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877540.post-58059040111800739522008-03-20T14:33:00.000-04:002008-03-20T14:33:00.000-04:00"it is elected, in part, but those elections may n..."it is elected, in part, but those elections may not be free or fair. I guess elections don't equate with democracy."<BR/><BR/>What about Florida 2000 and Ohio 2004? Do we have free and fair elections?<BR/><BR/>I don't think so and if elections don't equate democracy, what does?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877540.post-68608149241904313212008-03-20T12:26:00.000-04:002008-03-20T12:26:00.000-04:00Bill - your post hinges entirely on your assertion...Bill - your post hinges entirely on your assertion that "in that part of the world" is "an obvious euphemism for the Middle East." Not your strongest argument ever. By your own admission, Boehner didn't say "Middle East," meaning there's no "there" there -- or at least nothing more than a cheap shot. Maybe he meant "the Muslim world?" Maybe he meant the countries to the east of Israel? Whatever it is, your suggestion that he is minimizing Israel's position as a democracy borders on farce.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877540.post-74139748685524209982008-03-19T21:11:00.000-04:002008-03-19T21:11:00.000-04:00I don't know much about Iran before the Shah and t...I don't know much about Iran before the Shah and the CIA-supported coup. I know the Shah was put in power by the U.S. and supported for years until he abdicated and fled. I'm not quite clear about how the Iranian government works today --it is elected, in part, but those elections may not be free or fair. I guess elections don't equate with democracy.<BR/><BR/>I am surprised that Boehner would say that Iraq is the first democracy "in that part of the world," which is an obvous euphemism for the Middle East. He is wrong. And it makes one wonder: What else is he wrong about? The surprise is that Israel has great support here among both Rs and Ds. Why would he attempt to minimize its position as a democracy in that part of the world?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12712163977315292252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37877540.post-36205270414444523072008-03-19T21:00:00.000-04:002008-03-19T21:00:00.000-04:00Iran was democratically elected until the CIA over...Iran was democratically elected until the CIA overthrew Mossedegh in 1953 and insalled a brutal dictator called the Shah.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com