Does this sound like what Conservatives say about Castro? (Who is not hiding OBL on his soil.) Bush & Co. are behind this military dictator 110%. "Police arrest Pakistan opposition leaders. Detentions appear aimed at stifling resistance to Musharraf re-election bid."

Democracy is struggling to revive itself in Pakistan. It's viable, given a chance, and fair elections. Yet the US is seeking to squash democracy by actively supporting a military dictator.

Bush supporting a military dictator: "Ladies and gentlemen,Pakistan and United States have always had a strategic partnership, a strategic relationship all along. Today, with my interaction with the President, we have revived and maybe further strengthened this relationship. We have laid the foundations of a very strong, sustainable, broad-based and a long-term relationship between Pakistan and United States. And this relationship includes, first of all, commencing our United States-Pakistan strategic dialogue in an institutional manner, creating an institutional methodology of doing that, and talking of -- within this, talking of trade and investment, talking of defense relationships, cooperation in education, and above all, cooperation in our fight against terrorism and extremism."

How does this jibe with, say, Rice : PARIS — "Nearly a year after she was ridiculed for calling a war in Lebanon "the birth pangs of a new Middle East," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is insisting democracy will come to the region whatever the setbacks."

Or Bush: "President Bush said yesterday (2005) a fledgling democratic movement that he sees spreading through the Middle East is essential to defeating terrorism, and warned Syria and Iran against thwarting the "momentum of freedom" and fomenting instability in the region."

How 'bout Cheney: "It is clear in today's world that our values and our strategic interests are one and the same. In President Bush's words, "Democracy leads to justice within a nation - and the advance of democracy leads to greater security among nations." Regimes that repress and tyrannize their own people also threaten the peace and the stability of other lands. They feed rivalries and hatreds to obscure their own failings. They seek to impose their will by force, and they make our world more dangerous. We support democracy and reform, because governments accountable to their citizens are peaceful."

No wonder the ROW has no respect for these people.

Arf