And Dictators For All

In the wake of the death of military thug, Augusto Pinochet, Jonah Goldberg continues his eulogizing by suggesting that what Iraq really needs is a Pinochet of its own.

Several things about his argument are bizarre. In Goldberg's world there is a completely binary understanding of dictators, you have either Fidel Castro or Augusto Pinochet. (This is, of course, leaving aside the context that Castro merely toppled a military thug and not a legally elected government.)

Set all of this aside for a second. This is where the situation in Iraq now stands. One of the most vocal war proponents is now discussing what kind of dictator is best suited for Iraq. What happened to enlightened liberal democracy in the middle east? Now we are apparently supposed to be satisfied with a dictator who may or may not step down one day.

Isn't propping up a pro-US dictator the very thing that put Saddam in power? Apparently "strongmen" are the new "democracy for all."
Tags: Jonah Goldberg, Augusto Pinochet, Iraq