WHO NEEDS KAREN HUGHES? (via John Resnick):

Jordanian King Says Bush Powered Push for Reforms (Reuters, 3/15/05)

President Bush's call for spreading democracy in the Middle East sparked momentum in the region for an idea that had been only talked about before, Jordan's King Abdullah said on Tuesday.

"I think if the president had not started the process of getting reform in people's minds, we would have been much more complacent. But because there was outside pressure, people had to look in the mirror and think of how to move forward," Abdullah said in an interview on ABC News.

He said societies throughout the Middle East had been talking about reform and some Arab countries initially took Bush's call last year "as something being forced upon them."

But it was Bush's prodding that inspired people in the region to step up the move toward democratic reform, he said.

"It created debate inside of Arab society and I think we're seeing the fruits of that. I think people are expecting leaders to reform, and are demanding from their government to move forward."

Someone apparently didn't get their copy of the Realist talking points.

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 16, 2005 6:18 PM