promoted these past few years, has created widespread hostility throughout the Middle East not only toward the United States but toward democracy itself. The very word “democracy” has been tainted by the blatant hypocrisy and diplomatic bungling of the Bush administration; by the transformation of the War on Terror into a cosmic war; by the extent of anguish, misery, loss, and death that have resulted from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; by the bald violation of American values and ideals in the pursuit of al-Qa’ida militants; by the reversal of American pledges to support freedom and
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