Great moments in pro-war punditry

"The election [in Iraq in 2005] meant that the forces of democracy would almost surely prevail." - Fred Barnes, in his hero-cult hagiography of President Bush

Fred Barnes is an executive editor at The Weekly Standard, co-host of The Beltway Boys on Fox News, and a regular panelist on Special Report with Brit Hume on Fox News.

In contrast, here's what I said about the election(s) in Iraq.

I don't comment on the elections because it doesn't mean anything new to me (and I've been trying to blog less about politics.) The Iraqi people voted, again, which does show they want a stable gov't., although I'm not sure how much democracy they'll have if they vote in an Islamic gov't. But that desire means nothing if we and the world can't deliver on helping them build the infrastructure necessary to achieve whatever form of gov't they ultimately decide on. So, yes, I do think such a higher voter turn out is a positive sign. But until voting can be translated into results I'm not ready to celebrate.But I agree, we should support and encourage democracy whenever we can. I'm just at a loss for how to do that in Iraq. Where's Tom Paine when you need him?

I am not an executive editor of The Weekly Standard, not a cohost of The Beltway Boys on Fox News, and not a regular panelist on Special Report with Brit Hume on Fox News.