A Bold and Brave Advance

A Bold and Brave Advance

George W. Bush delivered his second inaugural address on January 20, 2005. Ten days later, on January 30, with great bravery and panache, the Iraqi people voted and dipped their fingers in purple ink to taunt their foes with the fact that they had done so — more than eight million voters out of a total adult population of just over 14 million. Those ten days shook the world.

Barely four weeks after those amazing ten days, we can now look back and see how much has changed. Morale in Iraq has utterly changed; the Iraqis are now in charge of their own country and they know it, and they are acting with confidence and wisdom. The minority party of Sunnis who did not vote are now sorry they did not. Morale in Afghanistan has shot up. After the horrific and public assassination of a former prime minister, all of Lebanon arose — Muslims and Christians together — to camp out in the streets demanding their sovereignty back from Syria and the return of their own democracy. In Egypt there are signs of a newly opened presidential election later in 2005. All Syria is a-tremble, and Iran may tip away from government by ayatollahs by year's end. As one Arab leader put it, We have heard our own Berlin wall begin to tremble and come down. A new era has begun. All these signs may be misleading, but they point upwards.

Michael Novak is so right about this, and has the best review of Bush's speech.