Mr Bu$h appeared Thursday at the Naval War College in yet another of his patented road show speeches before a tame audience, pleading for people to understand that the mess in Iraq really isn’t his fault, and would people just cut him a little slack because in another 19 months he might actually be out of our hair?

It was all standard, pre-packaged Bu$hit and by once again appearing before a bunch of uniforms he knows they’ll receive him politely, because they respect the office, no matter how contemptible the occupant.

The most noteworthy thing about the speech was when he dreamed his little dream that one day his Iraq would be “like Israel.”

They’re still hosing off politicians and leaders in half a dozen Middle East capitals today, because in that part of the word Israel is not considered a worthy exemplar of anything admirable.

Frequent commenter 7of6 illustrates the point better than I could:

The US political elite just doesn't get it. Israel is not popular in the Middle East, and it isn't because Middle Easterners are bigots. It is because Israel is coded as the last European colonial presence in the region, an heir to French Algeria, British Egypt, and Dutch Indonesia-- and because the Israelis pugnaciously continue to try to colonize neighboring bits of territory. (This enmity is not inevitable or eternal; in 2002 the Arab League offered full recognition of Israel in return for its going back to 1967 borders, but the Israeli government turned down the offer.)

Israel’s not a very good democracy to point out, since its political arena has been in the scaly-clawed grip of some of the worst right-wing maniacs the Middle East has seen in 60 years. And some people say they’re in full control of the US foreign policy apparatus.

It occurs to me that Iraq once was just like Israel: a well-armed bully frightening the crap out of all its neighbors. But then another well-armed bully, Mr Bu$h, said, “Fuck Saddam! We’re taking him down!”

Go read the rest of 7of6’s piece. It’s educational.

UPDATE: 7o6 stopped by and noted that he was just channeling Professor Juan Cole, regretting he couldn't write as well as Cole, although I've read some of 7of6's pieces, and think he's wrong. In any case, duly noted.